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Barely four months after announcing Julen Lopetegui as their new manager in acrimonious circumstances just two days to the start of which led to his sack as Spain manager, Real Madrid seem set to part ways with the 53-year-old.
Lopetegui was appointed to succeed Zinedine Zidane who left in unforeseen circumstances after guiding the club to its most successful era in modern times, and it was always going to be difficult to follow the illustrious achievements of the legendary Frenchman.
However, things have gotten so bad for Real under Lopetegui that the club is left with almost no option than to sack him, with reports emanating that he has until the El Clasico next Sunday to save his job.
Knowing Real Madrid and their history of rapid firing and hiring, the speculations have an element of serious truth, and it is only a matter of when and not if Lopetegui would be sacked.
A lot of names have been bandied about as potential replacements in the Madrid dugout, and one name often mentioned but not highly placed is that of Arsene Wenger.
Former Chelsea and Juventus manager Antonio Conte is seen as the man in pole position to take over the managerial job at Madrid, but with the 44-year-old currently locked in severance disputes with his former employers, the stage could be set for Wenger to take over the reins at Real.
The 68-year-old recently announced that he was ready to make a comeback into management after ending his 21-year love affair with Arsenal at the end of last season, and though many would scoff at the idea of Wenger coaching Madrid, the idea is not as farfetched as it looks at first glance. Here are five reasons which make Wenger the perfect replacement if Real Madrid decides to part ways with Julen Lopetegui.
#5 His desire to reprove himself on the highest stage
Arsene Wenger was once one of the greatest managers in the world, leading Arsenal to unprecedented heights, and achieving the legendary feat of being the first club to finish an entire league campaign undefeated with his Invincibles side of 2004.
Multiple titles were won, and Arsenal had the swagger of a side on top. Led by Wenger, they broke the previous stronghold Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson had on the Premier League.
However, things began to change in the last decade of Arsene's reign, as financial restrictions brought about by their Stadium construction meant that stringent measures had to be put in place, and Wenger had to change to a model of sourcing cheap untested players from around the world, and nurture them before selling them off to rivals for a healthy profit.
The consequent effect of this was that Arsenal fell from their previous heights, and watched on as Chelsea, Manchester City and recently Tottenham overtook them on the English football hierarchy.
The club became the butt of jokes and had to endure a miserable run of eight years without lifting a trophy until 2014 when the FA Cup was won.
Wenger led Arsenal from being title contenders to contesting for and seeing a top-four finish as a trophy to altogether falling out of Champions League qualification, and for all of his previous achievements, he left Arsenal on a sour note, with fans championing #WengerOut campaigns before the Frenchman finally departed.
He recently stated that he wants to come back into management, and it is undoubtable that he would want to leave football management on his won terms by being placed in the upper strata where his tactical acumen lies.
Wenger has unfinished business in football management to prove that he still has what it takes to be a coach at the elite level, and Real Madrid offers him the platform to do so. Hence, it would be wise for the club to snap him up, as he is a man on a mission, and this drive could see him turn Madrid's fortunes around.
#4 He plays attractive football
Real Madrid's fans have been established as the most demanding set of fans in the world, not minding booing their own players and legends if they feel their demands are not being met.
Not only do they want to see their team win every match, every week and every trophy on offer, they also want to do so playing attractive football at the same time, with the manifestation of this being when the club decided to part ways with legendary Italian manager Fabio Capello for playing 'boring football' despite leading the club to end its three year trophyless run when he guided them to the La Liga crown in 2007.
A major criticism of current manager Julen Lopetegui has been that he sets his side up to be too cautious and pragmatic, playing not to lose rather than to win with the result being that the football played is dour and uninspiring which is unacceptable at the Bernabeu.
In this regard, Wenger would also be a perfect fit, as he has established a history of sticking to aesthetic possession-based football even when his sides are losing.
Arsenal won many admirers for their style of play under Wenger, and his philosophy of playing attractive football is one which would see him become an instant hit with the Real Madrid faithful.
#3 He offers the best bet if the club is looking for a short-term appointment
Clubs changing coaches in the middle of the season is never an ideal proposition, especially for the biggest teams contesting for titles, as the firefighter approach to managerial changes is best suited to those at the bottom fodder trying to avoid relegation and the likes.
The upheaval in the dressing room such mid-season changes bring with them is a scenario most of the big teams avoid, as more often than not, it makes the club lose track of its objectives (although there are few exemptions with Zidane's appointment being one).
More often than not, most teams seek caretaker appointments, as their preferred choices are usually tied down at other clubs, and they would wait until the end of the season before making an official approach (although again there are exceptions).
There are very few top class managers suited to the profile of a Madrid coach, and most of them are already in stable jobs, with Conte the only viable option who is out of a job.
However, his payoff tussles with Chelsea could prove a real snag, as The Blues are adamant that they would not pay him the full value of his entitlement, and their case would be made much stronger if Conte accepts a new job so soon.
It has been stated severally that the Italian is the prime target of the Madrid board, and in his non-availability, the club could turn to a temporary appointment to see out the rest of the season until they get their man.
It is in this scenario that Wenger could come in, as the Frenchman is the perfect fit for Real Madrid to come in, steady the ship, see out the rest of the campaign and guide the club to the best possible finish.
Although Wenger's history of commitment and long-term visions could prove to be a minus in seeing this kind of arrangement come to fruition.
#2 Contrary to belief, he is a really great manager
As stated earlier, Wenger was once highly revered in management. His tactical revolution was a breath of fresh air to the then stoic Premier League, while he was one of the first high profile coaches to insist on players maintaining diet routines to keep themselves in prime condition. A practice which is now common worldwide.
Wenger fell off the radar due to his underperformances with Arsenal in his last years at the helm, but this was through no fault of his, as he could only work with average talents at best, and it is impossible to remain competitive in today's money dominated game on a shoestring budget.
The Frenchman, however, deserves immense credit for his achievements with Arsenal, as despite the restrictions, he was still able to guide the club to continuously qualify for the Champions League at the expense of other clubs possessing more quality players.
An oft also forgotten fact is just how good Wenger was when he had access to truly world class players in all departments of the squad which was the case in his early years in charge of Arsenal.
Managing talents such as Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Viera, Robert Pires and Cesc Fabregas but to name a few, Arsene was able to forge Arsenal into one of the best teams on the continent.
At Real Madrid, Wenger would once more have access to elite footballers who are among the best in their respective positions, and this is an ideal proposition, as in the past Wenger has shown that he has the requisite know-how to get the best of such players.
#1 He is a wonderful man manager
Real Madrid's dressing room is littered with the best players in the world who have won all available titles in the world of football.
They are multiple times Champions League and league winners, while most others have won numerous national team titles including the World Cup.
There are few if any other club in the world boasting such serial winners, and with such success comes bloated egos, and winning the respect of or motivating such players is no mean feat.
The Real dressing room is one of the most notoriously difficult in the world, and numerous managers in the past such as Mourinho and Benitez have felt the full brunt of their impact after falling out with key members of the squad.
Handling such egos requires adequate man management, and very few managers possess the requisite skills to do so, as the tactics employed elsewhere such as public criticism of players to boost their performances would land a coach straight on his face at Real Madrid with egg plastered over him for good measure.
Zinedine Zidane is a good example of an efficient manager, as he was able to get the best out of his players without distancing himself from the squad. He successfully convinced the otherwise ever-present Ronaldo on the need for him to preserve himself by rotation, and a lot of his success as Real Madrid coach could be traced to how effectively he managed the egos of his squad (perhaps his status as a former galactico had a lot to do with it).
When it comes to man management, there is perhaps no greater progenitor than Arsene Wenger, as he has achieved great fame for the legendary bonds he formed with his players throughout their careers, with most still maintaining a cordial relationship with him long after their playing days are over.
He cut the role of a father figure to his players, and not on any occasion in his 21-year reign at Arsenal did he publicly chide his player, preferring instead to take the blame even when said player was in the wrong, and this is a factor which could see him endeared to the Madrid players.
