3) Why did he fail to convince players he later regretted letting go?
Everyone understood the fact that Arsenal needed to sell most of their Invincibles core (some of whom were ageing) for the sake of the new stadium project. Finances took a hit at a time when clubs’ incomes were yet to break the glass ceiling and the game had yet to be as commercialised as it is today.
However, there were some player sales that were not part of the plan and it was the club’s failure to address those issues that saw Arsenal become a ‘selling club’.
Take the case of Cesc Fabregas who was wooed and prised away by his boyhood club Barcelona. In hindsight, it was a terrible move as the Catalan club did not need another midfielder. So what was discussed with the Spaniard after he had been trained and polished into a fine gem at Arsenal over eight seasons?
“The regret I have is that he wanted to leave here. This club and myself had a very positive influence on Cesc’s life.” – Wenger
And what happened with Ashley Cole? Granted, there was no way to match Chelsea’s new-found riches at the time but why wasn’t he given an improved contract to retain him at the club – especially considering he was homegrown and an academy product?
There are more examples: Nicolas Anelka, Alexander Hleb, Alex Song... It’s a long list.
