by Angelito » Wed Jun 24, 2020 10:09 am
Zenith wrote:Angelito wrote:
Seems like a plan for Kia and Raul to rake in the dough.
Just need to get Willian now.
That's that, then. It's been a pleasure, guys.
I think it's both the things you stated in your original post.
Sanllehi has a working style that he's not going to change. He's not some rookie. He's an experienced professional. When he first joined Arsenal, it was mentioned that he liked to work on a contact-basis. This would be balanced by Mislintat's data-based analysis and practical observation of players.
Gazidis would supervise them both and together, the three would draw up plans on recruitment, academy management, our short and longer term plans, et. al.
Gazidis had also promised Mislintat a promotion to a Technical Director position after Wenger left. None of those plans materialized. Gazidis left and Sanllehi moved into a powerful position. He didn't offer Mislintat the job, which paved the path for his exit.
On paper, the initial plan seemed sound enough. With Gazidis' departure, they had to figure out a new plan. And in that plan, it appears that we would hire following a contact-based approach.
That's very dangerous because it hands power into the hands of agents, or a football consultant, as Kia claims to be. The mismanagement since the implementation of such an approach has been obvious.
Luiz was a make-shift replacement of Koscielny, who would have stayed if Unai didn't run him to the ground. As a short-term signing, we was fine, not perfect. But this extension and the 4-year deal offered to Soares, a 28-year-old semi-decent RB, is inviting another wage-related issue.
Mari is 27. He'd be okay as a back-up until 31. This isn't as big of a problem.
Yet, it begs the question: what is Sanllehi trying to achieve at Arsenal? What we're seeing a systematic dismantling of the old Arsenal and a formation of an Americanized version of a multinational company that protects the owners and maintains status quo at the cost of the customers of the club. In this case, the fans. In this case, the essence of football-related achievements.
We are linked to Willian now who's one of Kia's clients. We might even get Coutinho if Barca decide to pursue Auba over Lautaro. While Coutinho would probably be the best player at Arsenal, should he join, but we would be again adding another 28-year-old on massive wages—north of £200k—in Coutinho.
I don't think Sanllehi is gullible. I do think he doesn't care about Arsenal's future or values. Kia is a smart man. In his interview with Gary Neville, he was eloquent, persuasive, and could pose solid arguments. He was trying to plant his ideas into Neville's mind. While that wouldn't work on someone like Neville, but it would easily work on many players and football professionals.
The Kroekes aren't football people, so it would be much easier for a maverick like Kia and a seasoned veteran like Sanllehi to sell them a dream.
We have made some glaring mistakes over the course of the last decade.
- Allowing Kroenke into the club over Abramovich who years earlier was interested in Arsenal, not Chelsea;
- Not moving Wenger upstairs;
- The power struggle between Gazidis and Wenger that has ultimately resulted in this chaos;
- Not going for Klopp in 2015;
- Gazidis' meddling in transfers that resulted in the signings of Xhaka, Mustafi, Perez, etc.;
- Hiring of Sanllehi over someone like Txiki, who of course wasn't available, but Txiki is a football man. Sanllehi is a business executive.
It almost appears that Wenger single-handedly postponed the downward spiral of Arsenal by more than a decade. I don't think anyone needed to teach Wenger how to run a club. This "victory" for Gazidis and the subsequent changes since have pushed us further behind than we ever were before Wenger arrived.
Like you, I hope I'm wrong. I hope Raul has a plan. The signs are ominous but sometimes you have take a few steps back before taking that leap.
It's telling that Wenger revealed how he was frustrated by the inside-goings at Arsenal, which is why he decided to leave.
Arsenal right now reminds me of a bureaucratic, old-money institution where nepotism, favoritism, and cronyism rule the roost.
It's not good.
P.S.: The destruction of Argentine national team and the trajectory Arsenal are taking is eerily similar. Like Argentina, talent alone won't be able to save you. Amidst this chaos, Messi dragged Argentina to 3x major finals, whilst single-handedly taking Argentina to Russia. All of this when Argentina don't even have a balanced team and are way behind Germany, Brazil, France, Spain, Belgium, etc. One person can't save an institution when the said institution is hell-bent on self-decay.