#3 He’s lost the respect of the top players
Like Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, at one time it was the cult of personality of Arsene Wenger that allowed him to sign a top player over and above another club. Wenger had such respect within the football world that merely the prospect of working under him enticed a top player into signing for Arsenal. It’s how he was able to attract the likes of Marc Overmars, Sol Campbell and Thierry Henry.
These days though it’s very different. While Arsenal have been able to bring in world-class talent over the past few years – namely Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Granit Xhaka – they’ve been finding it increasingly hard to keep hold of them too.
Speculation is currently flying around over the future of both Sanchez and Ozil, with Sanchez refusing to sign a new contract and Ozil consistently being linked with a move to Bayern Munich. This isn’t a new thing either, as Arsenal have lost key players such as Robin van Persie and Samir Nasri relatively recently too.
The fact is that in terms of respect amongst the world’s best, Wenger has slipped in the pecking order dramatically. The likes of Guardiola, Mourinho, and perhaps even Conte, Pochettino and Simeone have leapfrogged him. By keeping him, Arsenal are signalling that they’re no longer a go-to club for the world’s greats.
