COMMENT: Canny and clever to the end. This was just perfect from Arsene Wenger. Just perfect. And no-one can say they saw it coming...
It was less than 24 hours after he'd delivered his usual media conference at London Colney. And there was some good stuff from the stillArsenal manager. He expected an answer from Jack Wilshere before the World Cup. The door remained open to Santi Cazorla. And he was coy about carrying on next season. But no-one expected this...
Brilliant from Arsene. Absolutely brilliant. From his angle, Wenger remains in control of his destiny. He knew the writing was on the wall - and we'll touch on that later. But there'll be no tap on the shoulder. Wenger leaves the club he built on his terms. And with the timing of today's announcement, he has given everyone connected to Arsenal - from the players to the support - every motivation to finish the season on a high.
By the end of these five remaining Premier League games, those falling attendances will be the stuff of some bad dream. The Emirates will be full and rocking from now to the end of the season. The top four is out of reach, but every Gooner... indeed, every football fan with access... they'll want to be part of Wenger's final days as an Arsenal manager.
Inside the Metropolitano today, Atletico Madrid's directors will be brickin' it. They didn't want this. Facing a team of Arsenal's stature is bad enough. But one now desperate to give the club's greatest a deserved farewell? Just days out from the first-leg of their Europa League semifinal, Wenger knew exactly what he was doing when hopping out of bed this morning. With this announcement, he's just sucked the air out of Atleti's sails.
So why now? Well, that's easy. We all know hindsight's 20:20, but take a step back from the emotion of today and you can see it all fall into place. Wenger could see the club changing - indeed transforming - around him this season. Ivan Gazidis, the chief exec, has been true his word. Those "catalyst for change" remarks to fans last year have been fulfilled.
Where Wenger argued - passionately - against the need of a technical director, Gazidis hired two. Where Wenger demanded dealmaker Dick Law remain an influence, he was pushed aside for Huss Fahmy. And 18 year fitness chief Tony Colbert was booted upstairs and replaced by Aussie Darren Burgess. The sands weren't just shifting under Wenger, they were being blown away. New faces. New approaches. After 22 years of having the same people and the same systems in place, Wenger could see the life he knew as Arsenal manager was never going to return.
Even the relationship he'd struck with Stan Kroenke, the club's majority shareholder, was being watered down. Son Josh had relocated to London midseason to (finally) gets his hands dirty. And just last week it was confirmed he'd been promoted to vice-president of KSE UK, the holding company for the family's stake in Arsenal.
Significantly, upon confirmation the 37 year-old declared: "You've got to have open and honest dialogue about the reality of everything we're in.
“If we're sugar-coating anything about ourselves, our team or our direction we're only kidding ourselves and we'll be worse off in the long run."
Whether that was a public warning to Wenger, we'll just have to wait for the book.
In the meantime, there's games to be won. A place in the Champions League to be secured. And a deserved send off befitting of Arsenal's greatest identity.
Tony Adams, Mr Arsenal himself, hasn't been shy criticising his old gaffer over the years. He of "Wenger never taught me anything" and "Wenger's taking his players backwards" put it all aside today to let every Gooner know where the Frenchman stands in Arsenal's 132 year-old history.
"Thanks for everything Arsene. Move over Herbert (Chapman), Arsene Wenger the greatest Arsenal Manager," Adams posted to social media.
And that's how he should be celebrated by fans up and down the country for these remaining weeks of the season.
Arsenal are losing not just a great, but their greatest. And as he proved today, Wenger is still capable of that clever tactical move.
It's now over to the players - don't mess this up.
WHAT WE SAID:
Click here to read: Celebrated farewell? How Arsenal can still rescue this Wenger (& Enrique) shambles
