Former Arsenal midfielder Ray Parlour does not agree with protests against Arsene Wenger as there is no obvious candidate to replace him.
Arsene Wenger may possess one of the finest poker faces in the business, but even he must be feeling the heat at present.
A disappointing opening to the Premier League season has seen pressure mount on the Frenchman’s shoulders, with Arsenal’s loyal supporters turning on a figure they once worshipped as some sort of coaching deity.
On Saturday, as the Gunners huffed and puffed their way to a 1-0 victory at West Bromwich Albion, a banner was unfurled in the away end which sported the slogan: “Arsene, thanks for the memories but it’s time to say goodbye”.
Wenger will have seen it at the time and has been reminded about it ever since.
He is doing his best to brush the protests under the carpet, with the actions and views of a minority not necessarily representative of a larger fan base.
The tide is definitely turning, though, with Wenger’s Midas touch which once made him ‘Invincible’ having deserted him in his hour of need.
After 18 years in north London, is the time approaching for change? Has the Arsenal boss become so stuck in his ways that he will forever turn a blind eye and deaf ear to the detractors? Can that spell anything but trouble for a club of that size?
Former Gunner Ray Parlour acknowledges that a fresh face may be required, but he refuses to believe that forcing a club icon towards the exits, particularly in mid-season, is the best way to go about ushering in a new era.
He told Sky Sports News: “Everyone has their opinion, it’s probably 50-50 at the moment. They want to be challenging Chelsea, Manchester City, they have moved stadiums and they want to go and buy a holding midfielder and go and buy a defender, and at the moment they aren’t doing that.
“I don’t think it’s the right thing to do at a game, when you are trying to win the game. It’s a situation where I can see people’s opinions, I can see people maybe saying it’s time for a change, but when is the best time for a change? You always have to have a plan.
“It’s alright getting rid of managers, but who is the next manager that’s going to come in? At the moment, the top-class managers have all got good jobs and aren’t going to leave their jobs. If at the end of the season it is time for Arsene Wenger to move on, then that is the time to do it, not at the present time because you will be left saying, ‘Who is going to come in and take over?’.
Parlour makes a good point.
Quick fixes are rarely the best course of action when attempting to piece together a top-four challenge in the Premier League, while juggling European commitments in the Champions League.
If Arsenal were to blink now and rush into a managerial change, they would need to find a successor to Wenger who boasts considerable experience of working at the very highest level. There are no obvious choices.
Borussia Dortmund’s Jurgen Klopp has been mooted as a possible candidate, but he has work to do in Germany and it may be best to wait until the end of the campaign before making an approach and offering any incoming coach a clean slate and a full pre-season in which to find their feet and put their own stamp on proceedings.
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