Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has become an unpopular figure with fans after the Gunners’ title hopes were crushed once again but the Frenchman suggested that he made some sacrifices for the club as well.
Arsenal’s Premier League match against Norwich City at the Emirates Stadium is set to be the venue for protest from a couple of fan groups. They plan to unveil banners in the 12th and 78th minute, targeted at the club management and hierarchy. The significance of the number 12 is that it has been 12 years since the Gunners last won the Premier League title.
The man in charge of the club those 12 years, Frenchman Arsene Wenger, took the opportunity to remind fans of the sacrifices he made for the club since their move to the Emirates Stadium from Highbury.
“When we built the stadium the banks demanded I signed for five years,” he said, according to the Guardian.
“I did it. Do you want me to tell you how many clubs I turned down during that period? I have shown I am committed.”
Wenger went on to say that he rejected big clubs such as Real Madrid, Barcelona and a newly ambitious Manchester City in 2009 and 2010.
‘Arsene, thanks for the memories. But it’s time for a change’
The first serious signs of fan disapproval came in March when a banner was unveiled that read “Arsene, thanks for the memories but it’s time to say goodbye.”
Wenger initially shrugged off this palpable air of discontent, but the planned protest during the Norwich City game was too much for the usually composed Frenchman to ignore.
The manager spoke out about the bad sentiment against him, saying that fans had created a difficult environment for the team at the Emirates Stadium and that the majority of fans had been fooled by a minority of his critics into believing that he was the problem.
The Frenchman has been a great manager for Arsenal, winning six FA Cups and 3 Premier League titles with the Gunners, including the legendary Invincibles season of 2003-04. But since that season, the North London club has failed to win a title and it remains to be seen if Wenger will continue to be the manager next season.
