Arsenal supporters were deeply disappointed at the side’s 1-3 drubbing in the hands of Aston Villa on the opening weekend of the Barclays Premier League, and now the club’s fan association have appealed to the club’s board to stop negotiating a new contract with Arsene Wenger and direct all their attention on signing new players in the remainder of the transfer window this summer.
The Gunners did not have the best of starts to their new league campaign, and Villa were opportunistic enough to take the game by the scruff of the neck. The visitors were behind inside the opening quarter of an hour, after striker Olivier Giroud gave his confidence a boost by scoring from a smart cross by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. The pair combined well on a number of occasions, giving hope to Wenger ahead of the entirety of the season.
However, from that point it was all negative for the Gunners, who conceded two penalties to fall behind, with Christian Benteke converting both opportunities to make it 1-2. As usual, Arsenal had a considerable amount of possession with their midfielders playing exceptionally, but finishing being the real issue. Another problem faced by Wenger was the fact that all his substitutions were not tactical, but were forced through injuries to his star men. Bacary Sagna, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Kieran Gibbs could face up to weeks on the sidelines and the injury crisis continued at the club.
After last season, it was clear that Jose Mourinho would leave his post at Real Madrid, and that Carlo Ancelotti would take over the reigns at the Santiago Bernabeu. And Wenger was being targeted by Ancelotti’s club Paris Saint Germain, who wanted to bring the manager back to France to lead the side. However, with club executive Ivan Gazidis confirming availability of funds for Wenger, the manager pledged his future at the club once again, and looked to spend up to £70 million.
According to Metro, the supporters want the board to make the best use of the remaining few days in the window, and stop negotiating a contract with Wenger.