Daily Cannon: 7 questions we want answered in Wenger’s autobiography

Why did the club buy Park Chu-Young?

Arsene Wenger

When Arsene Wenger releases his first autobiography in 2020 there will be mile-long queues comprised of Arsenal fans, desperately seeking answers to some of the biggest mysteries from his time at the club.

Wenger has teased us that, one day, he will reveal all, but I don’t actually think he’ll do that. Ultimately, while his book will be a fascinating insight into the man we all admire so much, I doubt it will be the great kiss-and-tell we long for.

There are trivial questions that people want answered but plenty of serious stuff too. Plenty went on behind the scenes that left fans feeling bewildered at best and betrayed at worse.

Here are the questions I’d most like to see Wenger answer in his book.

1. How do you really feel about the United game that ended Arsenal’s unbeaten run?

This question encompasses a number of others: What happened behind the scenes with the pizza? How does he feel about Mike Riley?

As a man who had already been cheated of a league title in France due to Marseille’s corruption, watching the chance to reach 50 games unbeaten at the Theatre of Dreams and home of his nemesis ripped apart by some of the most violent actions you will ever seen on a football pitch, what did he think? How did he feel?

It’s one thing to lose, it’s another to lose like that and for a man with such strong principles as Arsene Wenger, it must surely have sickened him. Did it?

2. Why didn’t he take more action after the ‘paedophile’ abuse?

Vast swathes of the English media laid the foundations for United fans (and others) to sing songs about Arsene Wenger being a paedophile without evidence or cause. Why didn’t he sue them or come out more strongly against them when the entire fanbase was on his side?

3. How much did David Dein and then Pat Rice leaving change things?

There’s no doubt that Wenger was better as a coach when he had less off-field things to deal with while the loss of Pat Rice was followed by some of the worst performances in Wenger’s tie. What was the real impact of their departure?

4. How useless was Ivan Gazidis really?

At AC Milan, they already seem to be turning on him and with the arrival of Raul Sanllehi at Arsenal we’re getting glimpses of what Gazidis truly lacked. What was it like to work with him? Is he really as clueless as he now seems?

Ivan Gazidis Arsene Wenger

5. What is the truth about Arsenal’s post-Emirates finances?

Where you allowed to spend and didn’t? Did the club make you say there was money when there wasn’t?

6. What do you really think of Unai Emery’s football?

Wenger is too much of a gentleman to tell us that he thinks Emery’s football resembles that of Jose Mourinho more than the Frenchman but it must surely make him more than a little sad to watch the turgid fare Emery is serving up in the league.

7. Why did the club buy Park Chu-Young?

I realise that this question might not vex as many people as it does me but it really perplexes me and I’d like answers. Wenger and his team bought some weird players during their time at the club but never one more confusing than South Korean, Park Chu Young. What was that about? Surely it wasn’t just commercial, was it? Had Arsene Wenger even seen him play before the club hijacked his move to Lille and paid £5.85m for him and he described him as ‘true quality’ that will add to Arsenal’s ‘attacking forces’?

Park played just 310 minutes for Arsenal across seven games as Wenger refused to play him, although seven of those came, inexplicably, at Old Trafford.

Arsenal are 5/6 to finish in the Premier League top 4 in 2019-20