Arsene Wenger: I deserve better from Arsenal fans

Arsene Wenger, Paul Blank, CC BY 2.5

In the aftermath of a huge wave of criticism that was leveled against him, Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger has come out in his own defense citing he “deserves better recognition” than this from the Arsenal faithful for the services that he has given to the club in the past 2-decades.

Although the fan unrest has been growing against Wenger in the last few weeks, last weekend’s goalless draw at Sunderland intensified their fury. Some of Arsenal former player who are currently serving several media outlets vented their anger at Wenger in scathing fashion.

However, while Wenger might think that the fury of the Arsenal fans is solely due to a failed title challenge, there is another side of the story which has agonized the Arsenal faithful this Season.

Under the tutelage of Mauricio Pochettino, the Spurs are all but guaranteed to finish this season above the Gunners. This scenario has taken away that small delight which Arsenal fans used to feel at this stage of the season for the last two decades.

Thus, with their criticism of the French Manager mounting, Arsene Wenger came out today in a scathing response that was directed at the Arsenal faithful.

“When we built the stadium the banks demanded that I signed for five years,” said the 66-year-old. “I did it. Do you want me to tell you how many clubs I turned down during that period?”

In addition to giving the Arsenal fans a hint that he could have left them earlier, Arsene Wenger also disclosed the reason for his longevity at the club.

“The banks wanted the technical consistency to guarantee that we have a chance to pay [them] back. I did commit and I stayed under very difficult circumstances. So for me to come back and on top of that [critics] reproach me for not having won the championship during that period it is a bit overboard.”

“I accept criticism [but] I think that it is a bit too far.”

Thus, while he might have said these things to soothe the nerves of the Arsenal faithful, the fact that Arsenal would finish yet another season without a Premier League title might not go down well with their fans.