A top 4 finish and winning the FA Cup are the worst things that can happen to Arsenal right now

If you are a follower of the Premier League, let alone an Arsenal FC fan, you obviously know there is an ongoing saga regarding the future of Arsène Wenger, the club’s manager for over 20 years now. The Frenchman’s contract, who is stubbornly avoiding to declare if he is going to sign a new deal with the club, expires this summer.

I strongly believe, from the performances point of view, he shouldn’t be allowed an extension. The problem is the American owner is not at all interested in football while, money wise, Wenger is delivering the goods. So here lies the main issue at Arsenal: The board is happy, while the fans aren’t.

Constantly finishing in the top 4 and the occasional FA Cup is not good enough for a club this big. It’s been 13 years since Arsenal FC were champions for the last time. At any other club the managers would have been shown the door a long time ago and several times by now. Not at Arsenal. So here we have Arsène Wenger, who developed himself as a sort of dictator over time, being in charge of everything at the club, producing money for the owner but no big trophies. The board is happy, the fans suffer. And the road to mediocrity is now paved.

Because you won’t get that Top 4 spot forever and subsequently the Champions League qualification. This year certainly doesn’t look like it. And that FA Cup trophy is not enough anymore for a club positioned to battle for the English title and the best places in Europe. This is not good enough anymore and you can’t achieve anything more under Wenger, with the same tactics, the same leadership, the same reluctance in buying top players and so on. But the board still doesn’t care about it. So what needs to be done?

Given these circumstances, it’s pretty simple: Arsenal needs to hit rock bottom.

I’m not talking relegation here, but they surely need to drop out of the Top 4 finish and not win any other trophies until this whole situation boils over and the board really changes the approach and, hopefully, Wenger too. Otherwise, should they finish at the top this year as well and, who knows, beat Chelsea in the FA Cup final this month, the complacency will trap everyone again, including the unresting fans, Wenger will announce the signing of a new deal and in one year time, the same problems will resurface.

Therefore I am absolutely positive the worst thing that can happen to Arsenal Football Club right now, on the medium and long term, is winning the FA Cup and finishing in the Top 4. If this happens it will be déjà vu all over again. If you really support the club and desire a fresh new start you must be willing to sacrifice this season and bring on a new manager who craves glory and trophies. Arsène Wenger is definitely not that man anymore and the only chance the board will see this as well translates in no Champions League football next year and less money for the owner.