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Arsene Wenger's days at Arsenal are numbered according to a lot of English media outlets today. The likes of Daily Mail, Daily Star, Telegraph and several others have gone out with the same 'big story' and have claimed that the manager will be sacked this summer.
Wenger has been at Arsenal for 21 years but his last Premier League title was way back in 2004! The fans turned against him a long time ago but the owners had stood by him. But now, the support of the club owners is also fading away.
According to the reports, the Gunners have already made a list of possible replacements. The board of the London club has drawn up a list of 7 candidates:
#7 – Joachim Löw
Joachim Löw, the German national football team manager is the first candidate the Gunners are eyeing. The 58-year-old last managed a club in 2004 – the same season Arsenal last won the Premier League.
Since then, he has been with the German side, first as an assistant coach and 2 years later, as the head coach. He has since then won the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and FIFA Confederation Cup in 2017.
His contract with the National team only ends in 2020 but the Gunners are said to be hopeful of getting him after the World Cup. Will a gamble of bringing a manager back to club management after 14 years and also in a league he's never managed work?
#6 – Leonardo Jardim
Arsenal need a manager who can work with youngsters and also have the capability to get experienced stars on the team. Jardim has done just that at AS Monaco and has won the title for them as well.
However, he has failed to convince a lot of stars to remain with the French side as well. Bakayoko, Mbappe, Mendy, Bernardo Silva are a few of the first team players who have left and that has left them struggling to compete with PSG.
Jardim, like Low, is also contracted until 2020. He can prove to be an interesting appointment but a very risky one as well. His style of football is very much like Wenger but will it be successful in the Premier League?
#5 – Paulo Fonseca
The surprise name on this list is Paulo Fonseca. The Shakhtar Donetsk manager is said to be being "monitored" by the Gunners.
He was rated highly by a lot of pundits and his win over Manchester City, when the Cityzen's looked unbeatable, made a lot of head turn. He's just 44-years-old and has already won 5 major honours in his career.
He was linked with Everton for some time but nothing materialized in that. He could be the ideal long-term replacement but then again, with no disrespect to Shakhtar, will he be able to handle the pressure of managing a club as big as Arsenal?
#4 – Thierry Henry
Zidane has managed to do it at Real Madrid, can Thierry Henry do it at Arsenal? The club legend is said to be keen on trying his hand at managing the Gunners also dropped a hint over the weekend after Arsenal were humbled 3-0 by Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final.
“I still have a job to do with Belgium, but let’s see what’s going to happen. It will be a dream for me, but I’m still with Belgium."
The Frenchman was a coach at the club with the academy but left after he and Wenger had different ideas about the youth level. He is with the Belgian team, assisting Roberto Martinez, and will most likely be available after the World Cup gets over in the summer.
#3 – Carlo Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti is probably the best candidate on this list. He has the experience of managing big clubs, winning major honours and working with the biggest names in world football.
Moreover, he has managed in the Premier League before and has also won the league title. He is unemployed right now and will be easy to get for them.
To make things even better for the Gunners, Carlo is also said to be keen on managing in the Premier League again. It's ideal for Arsenal for to go for him right now and get things done, but has the club ever done that?
#2 – Mikel Arteta
Of all the managers mentioned on the list, Mikel Arteta is the only one who stands out. While all the others have managed or been head coaches, the Spaniard has only been an assistant coach for months.
He retired from football last season and joined Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. He has not even been with the Cityzen's for a year now and the Gunners are already willing to take the risk with him according to the reports.
Why Arteta would take the big job at this stage of his managing career and what is the 'X-Factor' that he would bring to the club? It is a very difficult thing to answer right now and it's very very difficult to see him being appointed too.
#1 – Brendan Rodgers
The final name on this list is the big shocker. Former Swansea and Liverpool manager is said to be one of the managers who are in line to be the next Arsenal manager.
Why? His methods and experience are said to be 'well suited' for Arsenal. He had a good spell at Swansea, enjoyed a good start at Liverpool but could not win anything at both the clubs.
However, his move to Celtic has made him a different person. He has managed to make the invincibles and win the title in record time. But then, the Scottish league is a one-horse race now and he has been 'exposed' in the European competitions.
