What Does the World Think of Arsenal Boss Arsene Wenger?

The debate over Arsene Wenger's future is a matter of global interest. The Premier League is one of the most watched sporting competitions in the world and Arsenal one of the biggest clubs. It's inevitable that such a key issue should engender such intense discussion.

The situation has sprouted a meme, with "Wenger out" banners popping up all over the world. However, is that message reflective of Arsenal fans on foreign shores? English supporters have made their feelings plain with protests and placards, but is their view shared in Europe and beyond?

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Arsenal are blessed with supporters in pretty much every country, so we reached out to a few international fans to gauge their feelings on the manager's future. Most of these supporters are connected to official fan groups or popular websites and podcasts. While their words represent their views, they are also able to assess attitudes in their countries and provide a flavour of how far-flung Arsenal fans feel about the managerial situation.

For the most part, the feeling was one of reluctant dissent. Ryan Smit, the secretary for Arsenal South Africa, alluded to Wenger's infamous intransigence as his primary cause for dissatisfaction: "In my personal opinion, it is time for Arsene to hand over the keys to a new manager. Arsene has done amazing things for the club over the years, but in recent years he has shown that while the game has changed, he is unwilling to waver from his principles.

"More worrying than that is that it feels like he is trying to prove us all wrong, that in fact his methods were correct.

"For many years we have hoped that he would make the necessary changes, but every time he disappoints us by reverting to the same patterns as before."

That desire for change is echoed by Los Angeles-based Chris Toronyi, creator and host of ArseAmerica Podcast. Chris' words seem to suggest he feels that Arsenal have reached the end of a natural cycle: "The boss has always been more about football to me. A man who views the sport in long-term concepts versus trends and fads you see elsewhere, but even concepts have a shelf life, need a refresh to energise, rebrand a club, stimulate the supporters. It's time for a new concept. A new philosophy."

The overriding feeling here appears to be that Wenger is a man wedded to his ideals—for better or worse. At times that has brought Arsenal great success, but with the game rapidly evolving, he has not necessarily been able to keep pace.

Some of the complaints aimed at his management will be familiar to fans in England. Allow Christian Mader of GermanGunners to expand upon that theme: "Arsenal have stagnated for years now, and as I look at it, there won't be any progress under Wenger. Sadly Arsene has lost touch to modern coaching. He won't make substitutions earlier than the 70th minute. He can't adjust the formation or tactics to opponents' strengths. We repeat our weaknesses every week.

"If we still played the famous 'Wengerball,' we could live with it, but even that has passed, and we are no longer feared for our quick and dangerous passing. At most times the players seem to have no real clue what the tactics are."

Wherever you go, there seems to be that peculiar cocktail of frustration and sadness. Indra Kullenberg is a member of Arsenal Sweden's board, and while she understandably stressed that she was only stating her opinion, her description of her feelings seemed to neatly summarise how a good deal of Arsenal fans are feeling all across the world. 

"For me, it's a hard one," Kullenberg said. "I have so much respect and love for the man, so it's a conflict within me when what I want is not the same as what he wants—that is that he steps down from his role as Arsenal manager this summer.

"I wish he would have come to that conclusion himself so we didn't have to ask for this. The whole situation has gone too far. I can't see how he can turn the opinions around."

While some fans clearly find the idea of parting ways with Wenger a significant wrench, that doesn't appear to be the case for the Brazilian contingent. Mattheus Viana of Arsenal Brasil made clear that his two-decade reign is regarded as somewhat bizarre.

He said: "For the Brazilian supporters, raised in a culture of constant managerial change, Wenger's being in charge has been considered something of an exotic quirk of the English people for well over half a decade now. Lots refuse to watch the club as long as he's there."

England is a unique footballing culture, especially when it comes to the longevity of managers. It's certainly fair to question how long Wenger would have lasted in one of the South American leagues, where turnover of coaches is seemingly much higher.

However, the level of media scrutiny is also probably unmatched outside England. According to Chris from GermanGunners, Wenger does not get such a rough ride in Germany: "If you check the German sport media outlets, you won't find such a critical coverage about Arsene Wenger like you're used to in England.

"The lack of trophies is, of course, a point of discussion, but the respect for his achievements in the past is enormous."

We did come across a foreign fan prepared to back Wenger—in fact, it was one of his countrymen. Vincent Arfeux is president of the ASCFR (the French Arsenal Supporters Club), and he would like to see Wenger remain at the helm: "Regarding the managerial situation, I'd be happy if Wenger signs a two-year deal because when I assess his past three seasons, I think there's been progress (titles, keeping best players, signing big players).

"I realise it hasn't been perfect—especially this season since February and against big teams away from home—but I don't consider this club ready for a change, so it's better for the short term to trust him—as long as he realises the team has to improve and as long as the board start working on a succession plan to be ready when he leaves."

Vince's view may be anomalous among our interviewees, but there's obviously some considered thought behind it. He may feel Wenger's performance has improved, but the bigger issue is surely his assessment that the club isn't "ready for a change." 

There's truth in that. Arsenal appear unprepared for Wenger's departure, with no obvious succession plan in place. Major structural changes would have to be undertaken before a new manager could take up the reins.

However, the message you hear time and time again from Arsenal fans is that keeping Wenger on would effectively be locking the club into a purgatorial period of stasis.

Ryan in South Africa acknowledged that appointing a new manager presents an element of risk, but that's a chance he is prepared to take: "I think it is best he moves on, and even if we go through a poor period, I would rather have new problems than continue living through groundhog season any longer."

Similarly, Chris in Germany stated emphatically that Arsenal need a new manager to progress. In fact, he believes keeping Wenger in charge puts Arsenal under threat of regressing: "Even if a manager swap at the end of the season would be hard because of the fact we are used to Wenger and we know what we get, the club should be brave and try to take a step forward. Otherwise standing still means moving backward."

Indra in Sweden summed up the situation with a stark warning of how Wenger's staying could prove damaging: "The only way forward for us as a club, for us as supporters and for Wenger himself is that he steps down. Weird as it might sound, it's mostly for his sake—I hope he hasn't signed a new contract. There's already too much anger toward him, and I can only imagine what will happen if he stays."

"Wenger out" has become a global meme, and these conversations would suggest it's fast becoming a global sentiment too. Even Wenger's biggest supporters accept that change will soon be inevitable—fan dissatisfaction across the world threatens to accelerate that process.

  

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout 2016/17.