Angry Arsenal Shareholders: Target the Board, Not Arsene Wenger

Todays newspapers, British and Spanish alike, are full of speculations about Arsene Wenger and the possibility of him becoming the next Real Madrid manager.

This is all because of comments made by Wenger on French TV last Sunday, in which he described Florentino Perez’s new Real Madrid project as "interesting" for any coach.

As usual, the media—foaming at the mouth—interpreted this as Wenger leaving Arsenal and moving to Real Madrid.

First of all, this is what Wenger actually said, "A Florentino Perez project is inevitably interesting for all coaches…I'm a coach but I am under contract with Arsenal and totally concentrated on my objectives here."

And asked whether or not he had spoken to Perez, Wenger replied, "Allow me to remain discreet on that matter".

His coyness is an indication that some contact was made through his representatives, and that he is taking the approach from Real seriously.

It’s also a message to the board and negative Arsenal fans reminding them of his importance to the future of the club, and the simple fact that he is one of the wanted managers in the game.

Let me get one thing straight—I’m not worried at all that Wenger might quit for Real Madrid, because he has principles and will at least finish his current contract with Arsenal, which is due to run until 2011.

However, it’s clear that the professor is extremely unhappy with the direct criticism levelled at him from disgruntled shareholders, at last Thursday’s AGM, which made him feel like a “murderer” for not delivering a trophy this season.

I think the Arsenal shareholders who were dishing out the criticism, like any fan, have every right to question the managers tactics, team selection and lack of quality replacement for key players.

But labelling an Arsenal player, Mikael Silvestre, “geriatric” was a little excessive. Arsene Wenger—the most successful manager in the clubs history—deserved more respect than what he got. I think these shareholders could’ve asked the same difficult questions, but without the hostility and sarcasm.

I completely understand and share the frustrations from these fans, because they witnessed yet another season full of promise but no progress, and most importantly, no trophies.

However, I feel that much of the criticism was targeted at the wrong person. The shareholders had a chance to ask some important questions regarding financial status of the club, but instead they turned on Wenger and chose to let the board off the hook.

For me, the most important question is this: exactly how much transfer money is available to the manager?

To be honest, I’m fed up of the annual claims by senior figures within the club (from Peter Hillwood and Danny Fiszmann) that Wenger has “£30 million” to spend on players. This is a magical number conjured up to please the Arsenal fans, and I believe that the actual figure is much lower than this.

It's also becoming clear, from recent reports and interviews, that Wenger himself is becoming frustrated with the lack of transfer funds available to him. Furthermore, he must sell one of his best players every year to help finance the annual £24m payments on the Emirates stadium.

This is the most important summer for Arsenal football club, since the arrival of Arsene Wenger back in September 1996.

The manager knows what is missing from the squad and what is needed to bridge the widening gap between Arsenal and the rest of the big four. Therefore, it is paramount that the board back the manager financially to achieve this objective.

It’s also time for the board to come clean and tell fans of the level of funds available to Arsene Wenger.

To all fans, please let me know what you think.

Did Arsene Wenger deserve all the criticism levelled at him or do you think the problem lies with the board?