Jens Lehmann could hardly hide the snide in his message. The former goalkeeper had only returned to Arsenal as a coach last summer, but as he would explain, the German was no longer required at the Emirates Stadium. “It was a good experience working with the players as one of the assistant coaches,” he wrote. “But the attitude from our 2004 group is not needed there anymore.” Of course, Lehmann isn’t the only Arsenal legend to have been cast aside by the north London club. Arsene Wenger might not be on Twitter to throw shade, but if he were he would have surely echoed his former goalkeeper’s saltiness in being forced to leave at the end of last season. The Frenchman put on a smile, shook hands and signed shirts as he witnessed his own funeral, but beneath the polite, well-mannered surface there was evident contempt. He didn’t want to go. Wenger’s exit was necessary. Arsenal had stagnated under his charge, with the Gunners slipping further and further away from the top with every passing season. Finishing the 2017/18 season in sixth place, Arsenal actually finished closer to the Premier League relegation zone than the champions, Manchester City. But while Wenger might have been the head of the snake, there was much more to be addressed at Arsenal. The club was rotten on the inside, hollowing out the sort of ambition the move to the Emirates Stadium was supposed to help foster. The symbolism of Wenger’s resignation, forced by protest and unrest from the stands, was significant, but it offered only a hint of the changes taking place. In effect, the departure of Wenger didn’t mark the start of the revolution at the Emirates Stadium, it was the final act of a process that had taken place for more than a year. At times last season, the Frenchman must have looked around and felt alone. Systematically, he was outnumbered by new backroom appointments. Ivan Gazidis uttered the words “catalyst for change” as far back as April 2017 following Arsenal’s disappointing 2016/17 Premier League season, with the phrase since enshrined by the club’s fans who demand a return to the top of the English and European game. It might have taken a little longer than expected for real change to be implemented, but nobody could argue Gazidis’ overhaul to date hasn’t been comprehensive, at least in terms of personnel.