The Beautiful Groan

Yesterday I posted how I didn’t believe Keith Edelman’s departure was anything dramatic, and that there was every chance that the claim of him ‘needing a new challenge’ was genuine. Many don’t see it that way, however, claiming either that Wenger has orchestrated a coup, Fiszman had sacked him after a heated argument, or Dein was somehow involved.

Two of those three hold no merit whatsoever. Dein does not have any power over the Arsenal board or Edelman, and Wenger is a man who leaves boardroom debates to the board. I’m sure they listen to him, but to suggest that he ousted Edelman is ridiculous.

The Fiszman link is more interesting. It is entirely possible that he felt Edelman had done everything he needed to do, and that the time was right for him to leave, but even then I cannot see a ruthless sacking having taken place, I just can’t. That Edelman is being retained for twelve months suggests it is an amicable split, whoever came up with the suggestion in the first place.

I also don’t believe that this is an opening for Usmanov, or even Kroenke even though he is now much closer to the board than when he first arrived on the scene. Whether a new managing director will be appointed remains to be seen - Dein was never replaced, and there is no guarantee the structure inside the club will remain the same, with a like for like replacement. When top people leave, there is often a shuffle round, changing the dynamic of the organisation. That isn’t always a bad thing.

But I feel the need to reiterate the main point of yesterday’s post - this isn’t a drama.

Back to football, and it seems like Flamini’s future lays elsewhere. Wenger set an end of April deadline, and now that we’ve moved into May he believes we’ll have an answer in the next day or so.

“I know that if it’s down to football then he will stay here. If it’s down to football or financial resources he might not stay here. He is free to choose a different direction, everybody is free out of contract and you have to respect that.”

It doesn’t take a genius to see that Flamini is moving on, and if he decided to sign a new contract it would be a great surprise. A great shame, after the season he’s had, but Wenger has known for ages that his contract was expiring, so will have a plan. It would be naive of him not to.

To finish up, I want to wish every good luck to Bournemouth this weekend. Having lived so close for much of my life, I’ve always wanted the best for the club, especially as they are perennially broke yet dignified. For those who don’t know, they’ve spend the whole season in the relegation zone of League One, and lost ten points after going into administration at New Year, ironically in a weekend that they would’ve escaped the bottom four without the deduction.

Seemingly doomed, they’ve staged a remarkable comeback, winning the last six games, and are now just one point from safety going into the final day. It would be a fantastic and deserving achievement if they managed one more win away at Carlisle and stayed up. Good luck to the Cherries.