Former France and Arsenal striker Thierry Henry, who acts as a pundit for Sky Sports and has been recently appointed as the assistant manager of the Belgium national team, understands why Eddie Howe is being touted as a potential successor to Arsene Wenger for the Arsenal job. Wenger, who has been the manager of Arsenal for the past 20 years, will see his contract expire at the end of this season.
While only time can say whether the Frenchman will renew his contract, strong rumours have linked the current Bournemouth manager to be a potential successor. Speaking on Sky Sports News HQ, the ex-Gunner believes that Howe’s philosophy would suit Arsenal.
Henry said, “When Bournemouth came up last year, I wanted to know if they were going to play in the same way.
“We’ve seen a lot of teams who have come up try and play in the same way they did in the Championship like Bournemouth did.
“When he [Howe] said I’d rather die than change my philosophy, I thought that spoke volumes about the man. We know how difficult it is to stay in this league, but the guy has stayed true to his word and kept that team in the Premier League his way.
“And you can understand the talk about Arsenal, because he’s going to fit the bill with his philosophy, identity and the way he puts his team out there. But I also liked his answer this week when he said I’m here to win games and who knows what will happen in the future.”
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When Wenger was asked about the speculation, he said “I don’t know who will take my job one day. These are questions that are impossible to answer. I wish the best to the guy that comes after me.”
Although Eddie Howe has insisted that he is committed to Bournemouth. Speaking on Thursday ahead of the Cherries’ home match against the Baggies, when quizzed about the Gunners role, the Englishman said, “It’s meaningless. I don’t want to hear it. I don’t need to hear it. I just want to win games.
“It’s very hard to predict the future. If you try to then you come unstuck. In football management, you live week to week.”
The Bournemouth manager also confirmed that Jack Wilshere might make his debut for the Cherries after his surprise loan move on deadline day.
