Arsenal players are determined Arsene Wenger must leave the club on a high note.
Arsenal announced Friday morning on its website its longtime manager will step down after this season, ending his tenure after 21-plus years on the job. Wenger informed his players minutes before the club announced the bombshell, and his decision stunned those Gunners who only have known one leader during their respective careers there.
The dressing room scene was emotional, but here’s what the players decided together after regaining their composure, according to The Mail’s Sami Mokbel and Jonathan Spencer:
“Sportsmail understands Arsenal’s shell-shocked players reacted to Wenger’s news by making a pact together to send him out in a blaze of glory by winning the (UEFA) Europa League.”
The struggling Gunners sit sixth in the Premier League standings, so winning the Europa League represents their only realistic route into next season’s UEFA Champions League. They’ll face Atletico Madrid in the semifinals, starting with the home leg next Thursday.
If the players weren’t motivated enough to win the Europa League prior to Friday’s news, the oath they’ve taken together might give them enough of a push to end the season with a trophy.
