With the international break upon us and very little football to care about, a lot of attention is turned towards the stories surrounding the game, and when it comes to Arsenal, that story is Arsène Wenger.
As most of the squad are with their national teams, the local media are enjoying the access given to the players, which tends to be more restricted at club level.
Radio Marca invited Nacho Monreal into the studio to speak to him about the Spanish national team, but they also had a few questions regarding the managerial situation at Arsenal and the uncertainty surrounding Wenger’s future.
Despite a current poor run of form, and an underperformance for the last ten years or so that would have seen 99% of other managers sacked, the Frenchman remains, and Nacho Monreal seems to know just why.
He continued: “At the end of the day, he’s someone who’s been at the club for 20 years. He’s the boss. He holds the most weight in the dressing room, at board level, and he controls pretty much everything, but he’s very approachable.
“He’s someone who speaks with the players, asks about everyone’s situations. He always has positive things to say, and he likes to have a controlled dressing room, and a good atmosphere. We’re fortunate to have him.”
Admitting they were in a difficult situation at present with results more often than not going against them, exemplified by the 3-1 loss to West Brom at the weekend, Monreal made it clear the players were still wanted Wenger at the club, and wouldn’t give up on him.
He said: “We’ll give everything until then end. If he decides to renew, then of course we’ll be behind him, we trust him.”
With rumours flying around the Arsenal manager is leaning towards another extended stay at the Emirates despite a large chunk of the fanbase being against that idea, Wenger is certainly going to need all the support he can get.
Having the dressing room’s trust is certainly a start.
