The truth of the matter probably lies somewhere in the middle of both sides of the argument but the issue becomes clouded by the all the badge-kissing and public displays of emotion and support. When player X praises the club and its fans in multiple interviews and can be seen hugging teammates and fighting for the club week-in week-out it is hard not to develop an image of them as more than just

First off let me issue my traditional ‘good day’ to all you Goonerists out there working tirelessly to spread the red and white message across the soccersphere and beyond.

These are indeed difficult times for fans of our beloved club. Murmured exits appear to inch closer to reality each day as arrivals seem to run full steam in the opposite direction, although if we are honest with ourselves this perception is as much down to our own increasingly pessimistic outlook as anything else.

Rumours of new signings are inevitably kept distant and unreal by the inescapable fear that they may never materialise but let it also not escape you that this is the same fear which renders exit talk so believable. If you were to remove this fear and look at the situation objectively you would see that there is as much falsehood in stories about those supposed to be leaving as those supposed to be arriving. 

For all the transfer talk this summer we are yet to see a completely confirmed transfer either way, bar young Carl Jenkinson*, and even that was all but sealed before the window opened.

The fact that after weeks of speculation both ways we find Clichy having a medical before Gervinho illustrates either one or both of two points: a) that Arsenal are taking a long time to conclude their business and/or b) that reports have been exaggerated and fabricated at various stages in order to generate greater interest.

My guess is there is a smattering of a) and just one hell of a lot of b) involved in that particular phenomenon.

One player whose exit is far from confirmed is young Samir of Nasrille and his actions have, as we all know, riled up a fair portion of the Arsenal fan base. But while most are labelling him greedy and disloyal there have been a number of intelligent voices arguing that being a footballer is a job like any other, and seen from that perspective his actions are, at the very least, understandable.

Pete over at The Beautiful Groan says:

“Is he holding the club to ransom? In a way, yes. But he isn’t asking for that level of salary without logic, and probably feels quite justified in his request…Plenty of people who are criticising him would change jobs in an instant if a far greater salary was offered, and while I understand that the scale of money is very different, there is a still a potentially vast salary gap at stake here. It matters.”

This argument then quickly moves onto the question of loyalty, and whether we are truly justified in expecting it from those who come to our club:

“I feel sometimes that we, as fans, miss this point entirely. As Arsenal fans, we cannot understand why anyone would leave the club, but these players are not fans, and even as representatives of the club they do not necessarily have it in their hearts. Imagine if you played for Bayer Leverkusen, and Inter came in with a big money offer for you. Top sides both, and as fans of neither you’d probably take quite a rational approach to the decision. Allow Nasri, and others, the same courtesy.”

Now taken through this light it is easy for me to make sense of Nasri’s actions. He wants a pay rise, so do I. If he finds a better job offer elsewhere he’s happy to leave, so I am I.

So far so good.

The problem is that the comparison hinges on the belief that being footballer is truly similar enough to being a doctor, journalist, banker or baker to lend itself to direct comparison and I’m not confident that this is the case, for a number of reasons.

Are fans right to expect a higher level of loyalty than that shown by players such as Nasri? Possibly not, but there are definitely arguments in favour of that sentiment.

In almost no profession other than sport does moving from one company to another so directly affect the fortunes of your previous employer. Two advertising firms can succeed simultaneously but if Nasri were to achieve success at another Premier League club it would guarantee at least some failure for Arsenal. In moving to a rival he would basically be admitting that he was content to see Arsenal fail which, given the time and money invested in him by the club and the support he has received from fans and his team mates, could easily be perceived as an insult. 

This is especially true with regards to player development. Nasri might not be as coveted as he is now if he had signed for someone else from Marseille and it is only because he has had the chance to improve and subsequently shine at a club like Arsenal that he has become such a household name across the globe. That is certainly something he would do well to remember.

Also, Nasri may not be a fan of the club but for the time he has been here his aims on the pitch have been one and the same as those in the stands. It may be said the he owes nothing to the supporters but without fan support football as a multi-million pound industry would not survive, and while ticket receipts may not directly pay his wage you can guarantee that he would not be requesting £110,000-a-week if he was playing to an empty stadium every Saturday. 

Whatever you may think you cannot deny that players exist to serve fans and not the other way around. Again it was the club’s fan base as well as the club’s development that ensured Nasri achieved global recognition. Shalke may have progressed further than us in the Champion’s League last year but still most football fans across the world would be able to name more Arsenal players than Shalke players and that is testament to our popularity as a club.

Therefore I feel the player/fan relationship must in some way distort the simple employee/employer relationship that some are suggesting Nasri has with the club. How both of these relationships interplay is however somewhat complex and certainly open to much discussion but I can’t help feeling you would be missing something in taking such an uncomplicated stance on their employment at the club. 

The truth of the matter probably lies somewhere in the middle of both sides of the argument but the issue becomes clouded by the all the badge-kissing and public displays of emotion and support. When player X praises the club and its fans in multiple interviews and can be seen hugging teammates and fighting for the club week-in week-out it is hard not to develop an image of them as more than just employees.  

If you didn’t want to appear disloyal upon leaving then why go out of your way to give the impression of loyalty throughout your time at the club? 

Again this is where I feel the simplistic employee/employer view of things breaks down a little and the deeper truth shines through. For sure, the exact nature of this truth is hard to discern but that doesn’t mean it should be ignored – by either party in the debate.

I personally have to hold my hand up and admit to an inconsistency in my responses throughout the saga. Trying to compute all of the various angles is a near impossible task and when your natural reaction as a fan is to feel hurt then your public response is likely to be ire and frustration regardless of how justified or misplaced that might be.

I don’t expect everyone
to agree on this matter any time soon but I do urge those who hold conflicting views to at least consider the opposing perspective because there are merits to both, and only through rational consideration can we hope to obtain any reasonable and measured perspective on this very serious and highly divisive issue. 

Thanks,

WB

@WengerBoy1

*Clichy may have been sold by the time this piece is published.