When Arsène Wenger finally left the hotseat at Arsenal at the end of the 2017 – 2018 season it was hoped, by fans in that particular part of North London anyway, that things were going to change. The indecision of the last few years, the infighting and division within the club and between its fans would be no more, and a golden new era would begin. Not everyone was completely on board when Emery was appointed, but there weren’t many people who could not see some merit in the Spaniard. He came with a decent track record, was known as a phenomenal coach, and seemed to be in the Wenger mould in terms of philosophy.
For whatever reason however, and there are many of them, his time with the Gunners just did not work out. The board acted in a way that they were not willing or able to with Wenger, and a new man can come in with enough time to save this season, and begin another new era. What the board and the fans will be desperately hoping for is that this time they get it right. Events at Manchester United have shown just how hard it is to replace a manager who has been such a dominant presence at the club for so long, and they will not want to replicate their appointment woes. The appointment of their next manager then is crucial for the short to midterm future of the club. Especially as there are several clubs who seem more than capable of stepping up and taking one of those top four positions that at one stage Arsenal were always nailed on for. Speculation is rife as to who will take over at the Emirates, with the betting market full of the usual names, as well as some surprises. Who is in the running, who should they go for and, perhaps most importantly, how big a name could they attract?
The Positives and Negatives
There is no doubting Arsenal are a huge club. Their stadium is world class, they have money in the bank, and they have a history most people would be happy to align themselves with. They are also in London, one of the most desirable cities in the world when it comes to attracting talent, in terms of both the manager and players. There are also some undoubtedly supremely talented players on their books, who any manager would love to work with. Arsenal play in one of, if not the most, attractive leagues in world football, one where every manager of note will want to cut his teeth at least once in their career. Finally, there are some fairly obvious quick fixes that can be done at Arsenal, albeit with the help of some money and a transfer window or two, namely two proper defensive minded defenders and a leader in midfield.
Unfortunately for fans of the club, that is not the whole of the story. There is money in the bank, and revenue wise, they compare favourably to all but the very richest clubs in Europe. It may be an issue getting hold of that money however, certainly in the quantities that are needed to make the necessary changes in personnel. Secondly, Arsenal are not as attractive a proposition as they were, say, 10 years ago. Not only has their star waned, there are now other clubs who are arguably in with a better chance than Arsenal at securing a top four, three or two spot. Take Leicester for example. Brendan Rogers has been touted for the role, but why would he leave a club that is playing so well and look so much more a complete outfit than Arsenal? And of course who have actually won the title more recently.
Timing may not be in the club’s favour either. It is open to debate if he would have gone there anyway, but Mourinho moving to North London rivals Spurs shows how quickly things can move, and if the board had moved quicker would the Special One now be at a different office in the capital? Managers eager to ply their trade in the EPL will also have their eyes on events at Old Trafford where Solskjaer’s job is far from safe.
Who is in the running?
Massimiliano Allegri has several things in his favour. He comes with a pedigree and a reputation that would appear to fit in with Arsenal and is a shrewd tactician. Perhaps most importantly he is available, so there would not be any compensation to pay. The biggest concern however is he has not managed outside of Italy.
Freddie Ljungberg is the incumbent, having stepped up from the number two role when Emery was relieved of his duties. He has the obvious Arsenal connections and knows the club and its philosophy, but the board will be anxious that appointing the Swede will be seen as an easy, cheap option.
Michael Arteta looks the ideal choice on paper. Gunners fans were excited when he was linked to the job when Wenger first left. He knows the club, knows the EPL and, despite not having first hand management experience, he has worked under pep Guardiola for over three seasons now. Pochettino is another obvious candidate, and if it wasn’t for the Spurs connection, would seem the perfect choice. That connection is a huge factor on all sides of the arrangement, and in all probability will prevent it happening.
Other names being mentioned are the likes of Eddie Howe at Bournemouth and Nuno at Wolves. Both have certainly earned the opportunity for a step up from their respective clubs, it just remains an issue whether they are seen as big enough names for the role, or indeed, if they would want the job, which comes with a lot of baggage and pressure that they just do not encounter in their current roles.
Rafa Benitez is another man in the running. He has experience in the EPL, has shown that he can work under trying circumstances, and would be the best of the safer options. Whoever the board go for, he will have a job on his hands. He will be given time, something that not every top manager has the luxury of, but by this time next season will need to have shown significant improvements otherwise we will be compiling a new list.