ARSENE WENGER met the Arsenal chief executive, Ivan Gazidis, yesterday to plan for the close-season and the next campaign as fans of the club rallied around the manager and planned a show of support for him at Sunday’s home game against Stoke City.
The manager has suffered what he perceives to have been relentless criticism from the media and fans over another season which has not yielded a trophy, and the final straw for him came last Thursday night when he was given a rough ride by a section of shareholders at a QA session.
Wenger has met Florentino Perez, who is expected to return as Real Madrid’s president next month, and with the disrespect of some of the shareholders still gnawing away at him, he was evasive in an interview with French TV about whether he might be open to an approach from the Spanish club. Yet the club was inundated with messages of backing for Wenger yesterday, online petitions in support of him started up and the fan group Redaction outlined plans to remind him that, in spite of recent disappointments, he still had their faith and gratitude by singing songs of support and unfurling banners at the Emirates.
“Arsene has worked miracles and people must not be so short-term in their thinking,” said Redaction’s Mark Brindle. “If people drive him out, they would regret it.”
Wenger’s meeting with Gazidis lasted three hours and they discussed transfer budgets and targets, the schedule for pre-season – which will include the Emirates Cup – and their ambitions for next season. Wenger will not want for financial backing during the summer window, when the area he will seek to strengthen as a matter of priority will be his defence. His funds are likely to be swelled by the sale of the striker Emmanuel Adebayor.
“The boss is the visible face of this club, of Arsenal’s project, and he is very important,” the goalkeeper, Manuel Almunia, said. “What we are lacking is consistency. Also, maybe more experience, not in terms of age but in some aspects of the game, our weak points. Playing good football is not always easy and we must adapt our games to the circumstances everywhere we go, and be a bit nastier when needed.”
Gazidis sees no reason why the Frenchman should not honour his contract, which runs until 2011.
Tottenham Hotspur are set to revive their interest in the Sunderland striker Kenwyne Jones in the summer, though their prospects of signing the Trinidad Tobago forward may depend upon whether the Wearsiders are able to retain their Premier League status.
A sloppy defeat at Portsmouth on Monday night left Ricky Sbragia’s side needing to beat Chelsea at the Stadium of Light on Sunday to ensure they remain in the top flight. A loss, combined with victories for Hull City and Newcastle United, would drag Sunderland back into the Championship and, while that grim prospect is unlikely to deter the Irish-American businessman Ellis Short from taking over the club at the end of the season, relegation would impact upon the playing staff.
Jones, who scored his 11th goal of the season at Portsmouth, was the subject of interest from Spurs in the mid-winter window but signed a four-and-a-half-year contract at the end of January. However, he was non-committal when asked if he would honour that deal should the Wearsiders go down. “If we stay up, of course I’ll stay,” he said. “I’ve committed myself to the club. But, if we go down, I can’t say what’s going to happen tomorrow. Tottenham have been linked with me quite strongly. I can only focus on the job I have now, trying my best and playing well to keep the club up.”
Upheaval is expected in the summer, regardless of which division the club end up in, with Sbragia – who replaced Roy Keane as manager in December on an 18-month deal – expected to return to a coaching role at the club as Short secures a high-profile replacement. The chairman, Niall Quinn, has indicated the manager’s position will be “reviewed” once the season has concluded, with players – most notably the on-loan striker Djibril Cisse – also expected to move on.
Jones remains the side's principal asset, despite admitting he has struggled for form and fitness throughout his second season at the club. GuardianService
