Arsenal round-up: Update on Wenger’s future; sickness bug; Lincoln MD discusses cup tie

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The latest report on Arsene Wenger’s future comes from the Mirror, who state that he must prove to the Arsenal board that he can reinvent himself as a manager before he is offered a new contract. There are doubts about his tactics and transfer policy, both of which need to change if he is to be given an extension at the end of the season. The board are adamant that it will be a mutual decision and Wenger doesn’t hold all the cards like many believe he does. The report goes on to say that there is a two-year contract on the table, but all parties must agree on whether the Frenchman remains.

This report won’t fill the Arsenal supporters that want him to leave with much hope. It is clear that the club remains wedded to the Frenchman and the fact that a contract remains on the table is concerning. Although the report states that he needs to reinvent himself in order to stay, it seems like a story released to get the fans back on board rather than the board wanting to implement any major changes. If they were serious about making Arsenal a success on the pitch, they would withdraw the contract offer as it is becoming increasingly clear that the job is beyond Wenger now.

They must now focus on the FA Cup sixth round against Lincoln City, as a win will take them to Wembley. It may not be the competition that the fans wanted to win, but it is silverware and it will provide a ray of sunshine on what has been an awful 2017 to date. However, the Mirror report that there is a bug sweeping through the club and the Gunners are concerned about losing more players to it before the weekend’s match. Mesut Ozil, Alex Iwobi and Danny Welbeck have all fell victim to the sickness and there is a fear that more could join them.

This is the last thing that Arsenal need at the moment, considering the humiliation against Bayern Munich. It is important that they bounce back with a win, even if it is against non-league Lincoln City. If many more players have to miss out through sickness, Wenger could be forced to field a much weaker side than he will have wanted to and this increases the possibility of a historic away victory.

This weekend will centre on Arsenal as the world will be willing them to fall to another embarrassment against Lincoln City. The non-league club’s managing director has been talking about the cup tie and stated that they are dreaming of getting to Wembley.

“We are dreaming of Wembley and we’re only one game away. All we have to do now is beat Arsenal and we’re there! This is the one, this is the moment, the plum draw everyone was hoping for. We’re playing away at the Emirates and that’s something we’re all really looking forward to.

“To me, the magic of the cup has always been about the shocks, the little clubs who knock out the big boys. It’s not about the Premier League teams, it’s about the teams at our level who are not expected to win.”

Lincoln City have provided a lot of magical moments in this season’s FA Cup and the whole country will be behind them at the weekend when they take on Arsenal. For the Gunners, it is crucial that they deliver a professional performance and forget about the Champions League tie against Bayern Munich. It is in the past and they now have more important matters to focus on, such as the FA Cup. A loss to the non-league side would be a disaster and increase the anger among the supporters to an all-time high.

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