Arsenal Fan View: Big backroom changes show club are preparing for Wenger's eventual departure

If there is one thing Arsenal fans know about their manager, it is that Arsene Wenger is man of his word. Jose Mourinho might disagree after the events of last week, but he’s probably earned the mind game played on him. So when Wenger said he will stay the length of his contract, he meant it a lot more than the fitness of Alexandre Lacazette.

Le Prof signed a two-year deal at the end of last season after the FA cup victory over Chelsea. And the reason why fans were a little irate is simply because they know he will stay for those 2 years. No matter what happens, the management of this club will not sack their legendary manager.

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What the management can do, though, is prepare better than a certain Manchester club did for their legendary manager’s departure. The recent signings made outside the transfer window for Arsenal have been making the right noises and showing the intent of the club to move forward.

Sven Mislintat and Raul Sanllehi are the two big names the club has acquired in the last month alone, from Borussia Dortmund and FC Barcelona respectively. The German will be replacing outgoing chief scout Steve Rowley while the Spaniard joins as the head of football relations.

The Arsenal manager has been vocally against having too many cooks in the transfer negotiations but still seems to be happy with these arrivals. Both new additions to the backroom staff have a great track record and look to be paving the way for Wenger’s smooth departure.

Sven Mislintat, or “Diamond Eye” as he known in Germany, is a sign of some responsibility shifting from the manager. Wenger has been a big influence on every scout at the club, but Mislintat is man of his own. He will do more than just find new players, but also identify weaknesses in the current squad and gaps to fill.

As for Sanllehi, the fact that Wenger has allowed a sort of “Director of football” to come in is an indication of a power-shift at the top. The Frenchman will no longer have final say on negotiation procedures, not without the Spaniard in his ear. Also, having a man who got Neymar and Suarez to Barcelona handle Arsenal’s transfers is a lot more optimistic moving forward.

A slow phasing out of the Wenger-era?

These two will provide Arsenal with strong-willed and bold characters in the backroom which would be a nice change to the current yes-men. Wenger has probably not had enough people challenge him in recent years to push him in another direction; this might be the way to go.

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Finally, Sanllehi has already worked with Alexis Sanchez before and Mislintat has the German influence over Mesut Ozil. This pair will be the critical additions that make sure the club hold on to their two best players in the summer.

If nothing else, it is sure to usher in the time of certain changes in the manner with which Arsenal operate in-between seasons. Who knows, maybe Gazidis does have a post-Wenger-era plan after all?