Arsenal round-up: Tony Adams’ thoughts on Wenger; Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain names ideal position; Bilbao targeting Nacho Monreal

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Tony Adams has given an interesting interview in The Guardian that focuses on his relationship with Arsene Wenger and he has stated that it is the right time for the Frenchman to leave his post as Arsenal manager.

“I was delighted for him on Saturday. I’ve never seen him so animated. He was doing a lot of waving after the game. I don’t know what that means. He’s the greatest Arsenal manager ever so it would be sad if that was spoilt. Arsenal are not in the Champions League next season. I don’t think they’re going to be anywhere near the title. They’ve just had a fantastic FA Cup win after an amazing 20 years. I hope he calls it a day.”

Wenger’s future will finally be determined this week and that can’t come soon enough for a club that has a huge rebuilding job ahead this summer. It is important that they press ahead with their recruitment soon and have their signings made by pre-season. There have been a number of ex-players discussing Wenger’s position in the media, but these latest comments from Adams are perhaps the harshest of them all. He takes a firm stance against his former boss and there will be a lot of supporters that share his views.

There are a few players that are approaching the final year of their contract at the Emirates Stadium and could leave the club this summer. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is one of them and Arsenal may need to agree to play him in central midfield in order to keep him in North London. Although he has thrived at right wing-back recently, the England international wants to be used in central midfield. The following quotes from an interview with BT Sport are being reported by the Evening Standard:

“Playing for a team like Arsenal, it ends up being more of a right-wing job. I get the ball from deeper and the plays into my hands more.

“At the end of the day, it’s given me minutes and I’m not one to complain. But, the centre-mid role… I’ve always wanted to be Steven Gerrard, so I’ve still got a hope of that!”

Oxlade-Chamberlain has been one of Arsenal’s best players this season and was a rare bright spot during their poor run in the aftermath of their Champions League elimination. He was one of the few to step up and take responsibility on the pitch, which underlined the impressive character that he possesses. The 23-year-old will develop further over the next couple of years and it would be a huge blow if he was to continue his career at a rival English club.

Nacho Monreal could be one of the players to leave the club this summer, with Sead Kolasinac set to move to the Emirates Stadium. Marca report that Monreal is a target for Athletic Bilbao this summer. He has been followed by the Basque club for the last three years and it is likely that they will make another approach for the left-back over the coming months.

The Spaniard has a good relationship with the supporters and has had another impressive season in the Gunners defence. However, he is now 31 and it could be the right time to move him on, especially with Kolasinac likely to take up the left back berth next season. If the club decides to continue with a 3-4-2-1 formation, it might be wise to keep Monreal as part of the squad as he can play the left centre-back role.

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