Gary Neville reveals why he thinks Arsene Wenger will leave Arsenal at the end of this season

EXCLUSIVE

Fresh from calling Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal side ‘spineless’ during the Carabao Cup final on Sunday, Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville believes the Frenchman will leave the Gunners at the end of the season.

Neville laid into Wenger’s players during their 3-0 defeat to Manchester City at Wembley forcing the Frenchman to publicly defend his team’s efforts, but the former Manchester United full-back now believe after 22 years service, Wenger is ready to go.

“I just think he’s been a wonderful manager he’s had a great time at Arsenal and ultimately he deserves a respectful conclusion to that,” Neville told Yahoo Sports UK before a Q&A at his Cafe Football restaurant in Stratford.

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“The idea that he is sacked; no, but I have got this theory that he will leave at the end of this season. I do believe the two year contract is a smokescreen.

He added: “Last season when there was a year to go and there was the protests of don’t renew the contract they were never going to put themselves in that situation again so they gave him a two year deal so that the question of is he leaving at the end of this season goes and he just walks out on his own terms. And I believe that would be the right end, as it was for Alex Ferguson. You walk out on your own terms when you’ve given such great service.

“It’s getting more and more difficult for him. You’ll never hear me say a manager should be sacked, ever. I don’t believe it’s in my professional rights to suggest that somebody else should be sacked, however, what I would say is that the manager ultimately carries the can.

“When Arsenal were finishing in the top four it was more simple for me; would Arsenal win the league with the level of investment against Chelsea, City, United? Probably not, in fact if a new manager came in he probably wouldn’t win the league. But now they’re flailing down in sixth, they’re not going to get into the top four for the second season so it becomes more difficult to establish the argument of the overachievement point.”

After criticising some Arsenal fans for taking ‘Wenger Out’ banners to games last season, Neville admitted that he does understand why some supporters are at their wits end, especially after Sunday’s performance at Wembley.

“I felt for them on Sunday when they saw the team giving less than 100% yeah, I absolutely did. Because I felt it myself. I felt disappointed as a professional that I saw what I believed to be a team that weren’t standing up they weren’t rising; turn up and give your all and the rest of it is uncontrollable.

“Every time I go and watch Burnley play I never criticise them. I can say they’ve not got the greatest quality in attack, I can say that maybe sometimes they’re not the most exciting team in the world in terms of wonderful football but I can never really criticise them because there are 11 players on that pitch that absolutely demand the maximum from each other, that absolutely give their all.

“That’s all you can do and I can resonate with that and I can recognise it. What I can’t do is sit there in the way in which I’m built as an individual and see players giving less than 100%; I find that the most difficult. Particularly in a cup final.

“The medals are up there, the trophy is up there, it’s there for you to see. You may have the odd off-day – not the sort of day where you make a bad pass but where you don’t feel right as a team, and it looks like you’re a little bit lethargic, but not in a cup final when you’re seeing a team wilt and be flakey as you can possibly be. You go for it in a cup final, you absolutely die on the pitch in a cup final in terms of effort and energy and I just didn’t see it.

“I felt passionate about it. I felt demoralised. I had the Arsenal fans behind me to the left and I do look round and see their faces during games; they looked dejected, they’re demoralised, they’re not there. They can’t believe what they’re watching and I can’t believe what I’m watching cos I’m thinking ‘just run! Just run! Just show them something! Tackle, run, fight.

“They’re the very basics of football and fundamentals. If you do that then you can talk about the other stuff after; pass the ball well, get your first touch right, make sure that you make the timing of runs, or the other things that are more nuanced and more subtle and difficult to coach and teach, but the very basics of a football team.

“Every time Manchester City gave the ball away they sprinted back even when they were 3-0 up. Why weren’t Arsenal sprinting back? I just felt really passionate about what I was watching and felt that ultimately I, the people watching at home, the fans in the stadium, need to see more. The minimum that the fans need to see is 100% effort.”

There is little rest for Wenger’s side as they face Manchester City again, four days later, in the Premier League tonight and Arsenal fans – and Neville – will be hoping for a better display than during Sunday’s final.

Neville, meanwhile, is as busy away from the pitch as he is on it having taken on a fair few amount of projects with his former Manchester United team-mates, the Class of 92.

He said: “I’ve invested into hospitality, leisure and property and sport and education so they’re the three sectors that we’ve invested in as a group, as the lads. It’s actually an exciting time as hospitality and leisure side as we’ve got a new team in place at the start of this year which will transform the business going forward.

“It will mean I’ll become less active in that particularly side of the company. I’m excited about 2018. We’re opening a brand new boutique hotel.”