The fallout from the Keith Edelman news continues with some newspapers reporting than the former managing director’s departure was not exactly his own decision.
The Times reports that the board felt he had taken the club as far as he could, that Arsene Wenger wasn’t particularly fond of him and that the manager might have more freedom to spend money in the transfer market without Edelman’s ‘penny pinching’.
The Sun says Arsene wants somebody with football experience to be hired, something repeated by the Guardian who suggest that some of Arsenal’s failures in the transfer market could have been avoided if somebody with better contacts in the world of football had been in place. No doubt we’ll hear from Fat & Orange in the next day or two as they look to make some hay from this situation but just because Edelman has gone doesn’t mean the board are in any way more vulnerable.
Some might say that because Dein and Edelman were such great enemies, they really hated each other, it might be a softening on the board’s stance towards F&O but this, I’m told, is not the case at all. In an interview in today’s Arsecast Tim Payton from the Arsenal Supporters Trust reveals he has spoken to Danny Fiszman and explains the reasons why the time was right for Edelman to leave the club.
It will certainly be interesting to see who they get to replace him, somebody who is more football focussed seems to be the type of candidate they’re looking for. I suppose there’ll be all kinds of speculation about how it might be but I bet it’ll be someone nobody expects – a boardroom Sagna, if you like. And that wouldn’t be a bad thing. Ken Friar is in temporary charge and he is more than capable. But in the long term the club needs somebody who can step things up a bit, take some of the workload off Arsene and provide that bit of wheeler-dealerness that perhaps we miss at the moment when it comes to players. More on this to come in the days and weeks ahead.
Mathieu Flamini has apparently told teammates he’s going to join AC Milan. I wonder if he’s 100% sure of that yet. AC play city rivals Inter this Sunday and the outcome of that game promises to be significant whatever happens. If Inter win they have won the scudetto and AC will find themselves really struggling to make the Champions League if Fiorentina beat Cagliari. Would Flamini move to a club that isn’t playing Champions League football? We’ll see. If his move is just about football then yes he will, if it’s about ambition and winning things then you have to suggest that he’d be taking a step backwards going to Milan if they’re only playing UEFA Cup football. Anyway, come on Inter!
Not much in the way of team news for Sunday’s game yet. Flamini could be back, Robin van Persie misses out as a ‘precaution’, and the usual long term suspects are out. More news from Arsene’s regular press conference on tomorrow’s blog.
Now, Arsecast time.
It’s a truly action packed Arsecast today as I speak to Tim Payton from the AST about the departure of Keith Edelman, Goonerholic talks football, the Man in the Bar is around, as is Eboue and a couple of other unexpected items.
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[audio:http://arseblog.com/podcasts/arsecast_episode74.mp3]Right so, enjoy. Have a good bank holiday Friday, do drink too much. Till tomorrow.
