The update is that it’s business as usual.
The same standard soundbites, the same stock phrases, and as more disgruntled Arsenal fans will argue, the same old excuses. Arsene Wenger was speaking exclusively to beIN Sports on Wednesday morning, and his news was there’s no news.
Many Gooners want the veteran manager to throw in the towel. All of them, at the very least, want some closure and certainty about the club’s future – whether that’s confirmation that the Frenchman is staying on, or an announcement that he’ll be stepping down.
Alas no such announcement was forthcoming, only a firm straight-bat response from a mischievous looking Wenger:
“My news is that I have no news for you, and that no matter how long I stay, I will be committed and completely focused. How long I stay doesn’t really matter, because as long as I am there I will remain focused on achieving the best with the club.
“We suffer a lot at the moment, but when you take a bit of distance and put things into perspective, we have two games in hand, we are in the semi-final of the cup against City, so our season will be decided by how we respond to this period we have.”
He did however respond to a question about the two planes with banners that made an appearance the Gunners’ away defeat to West Brom:
“My job is to make 100% of the people happy, and I think if you look at where the club was when I arrived and where it is today I think I’m quite proud of what I did.
“After that, we live in a period where people are very demanding and I can understand that but I know as well that I’ve guided this club through very difficult periods with very, very, limited resources and that I managed always to get the best out of the team and that’s what I will do as long as I’m at Arsenal football club.”
