The promise had come from Ivan Gazidis. Arsène Wenger’s final game at the Emirates Stadium, the chief executive thundered, would feature “a send-off that the world will take notice of”. That is for later – 6 May against Burnley, to be precise. But what of the manager’s third last home match and, more importantly, the first since the announcement on Friday that he would walk away from Arsenal at the end of the season?
The hope and, indeed, the expectation had been for an outpouring of affection to mirror that seen from within the game and across social media since the bombshell was dropped. The idea from the club was also that the players would be galvanised for one final push – primarily to see them win the Europa League and salvage the season. They are back here on Thursday night for the first leg of the semi-final against Atlético Madrid – an occasion that Gazidis believes will be “electric”.
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