In the absence of ‘proper’ football during the most recent international break, it seemed as if common sense also left the room along with our sanity.

Watching international football in comparison to our beloved Premier League is prone to leave even the most grounded reaching for the straightjacket, but the latest rumour has no ties to veracity.

We all read it, and the stories surrounding Marc Overmars leaving Ajax to become Arsenal’s Director of Football are quite laughable under the current circumstances.

Consider the facts.







Since David Dein left, Arsene Wenger has had full control of the good ship Arsenal. Dein was viewed as the contrary voice of reason whenever Wenger was in the throes of an outlandish decision. This is not to say Wenger regularly had hair-brained schemes. No, this is merely to say Wenger had a yin to his yang.

Everybody needs one, but now our manager has had his hand on all the controls for quite some time, and if stories from behind the veil are to be believed, Wenger will not tolerate opinion from elsewhere.

Wenger is absolute.

So, all of a sudden he is open to bringing in someone who will bring not only another view, but one that he will have to take on board?

Marc Overmars started off his post-playing career at boyhood club Go Ahead Eagles on a voluntary basis. Firstly as a shareholder and then later joining the Supervisory Board, The former winger then joined Ajax part time as a Youth Coach. Getting a solid grounding behind the scenes gives Overmars another view, and since 2012, he has been Technical Director at Ajax as part of a team of former Ajax luminaries at the club.

Overmars being a former Gunner helps a lot, but it matters very little as this story will not come to fruition as long as Wenger is at the club.

The only way this may hold any truth is if Wenger has already decided to leave after his final season which is in 2019. Overmars coming in at the start of this campaign allows a smoother handing over of power, with the respective new guy having help in acclimating to The Arsenal Way.

Other than this one version of events, Overmars joining in on the decision making is about as likely as Toni Colbert embracing new methods of fitness.

A Director of Football is usually the death knell of any managerial setup. Aside from Txiki Begiristain at Manchester City which still has the jury out, another person muscling in on the manager is not a conventional recipe for success.

That isn’t to say it wouldn’t work though.

Wenger desperately needs another to sound his thoughts out to. Seeing as Steve Bould has lost all semblance of the voice he had as a player, Arsene has no-one but his own mind to see both sides of a potentially problematic equation.

Overmars coming in and offering a fresher approach mixed with Wenger’s way with his players could well be the ingredient we need to finally unleash what our squad is capable of doing.

Could it be pulled off? Certainly.

Will it happen? Almost certainly not.

If Wenger is set to call time on his Arsenal legacy at the end of his current deal, a Director of Football would be a great solution to bridging the gap between bosses.

A returning Gunner is a nice touch too. If by all accounts this does come true, the fact they know the club is a big advantage.

So, to surmise, don’t believe everything you read. 

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