Top 5 contenders to replace Arsene Wenger at Arsenal

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been at the club since 1996The overwhelming feeling around the Emirates is that Wenger's time is up. He has taken Arsenal to the highest of highs and is no longer capable of reaching those heights. The anger has become venomous. Calls for him to get the sack have abated since the victory over Dortmund, but the angst and frustration still persist.The debate is no longer about if Wenger can take the club forward. Instead it is about who is the best man to take the club forward. But before possible candidates for the Arsenal seat are discussed, it is imperative to understand what Wenger has done.Arsenal are no longer a club satisfied only by results. The club has an identity, a style that must be adhered to. Over the 18 years of Wenger's reign, the Arsenal faithful have become accustomed to the most entertaining football in England. Wenger's departure will not come at the cost of their flair.Keeping this in mind, here's a list of 5 managers that could possibly take over from Wenger in the near future. Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the author and do not reflect those of the website.

#1 Roberto Martinez

Everyone loves Martinez. The Spaniard has built quite a reputation in England owing to the exciting style of football his teams have made a habit of playing. Martinez is not intimidated by the big names or even the lackluster reputation of teams he has managed. He is dedicated to playing a brand of football that fans will be proud of seeing.

Martinez is a manager very much like Wenger when he first came to England. He is not afraid of making wholesale changes to a team; which includes diet, training regimes, facilities, playing style and personnel – as is evident from his stints at Swansea, Wigan and Everton.

He is also a youth fanatic, giving them enough chances to make the step up to the senior team. He is very shrewd in the transfer market as well; a quality that will resonate well with the Arsenal board and fans.

Martinez's appointment would ensure that the Arsenal fans enjoy all that Wenger brought to the club, along with all the new things he would bring.

#2 Frank De Boer

Ajax manager Frank De Boer has continued doing what he did best as a player - excelling. Being the manager of Ajax already ticks half the boxes that are required to be a manager at Arsenal.

Before De Boer, Ajax last won the Eredivisie in 2004. After a gap of seven years and seeing nine managers, they can't stop winning it after De Boer took over in 2010. They have won the league four times in a row, a feat previously unheard of. His set-up at Ajax is garnering a lot of attention and it has made him a prominent member of every major club's managerial shortlist.

His arrival at Arsenal would also herald a Dutch revolution at Arsenal with the Gunners' youth academy already being revamped by Andries Jonker.

Arsenal's long term vision has always been to be able to play free flowing football with a team that is made up of academy players, a la Ajax. What better manager to help them do that than one of Ajax’s best ever managers?

#3 Jurgen Klopp

One would have to be living under a rock to not know what Klopp has achieved as a manager in recent years, the way he has done it and the odds he has overcome to do it. His story has been oft-repeated and it doesn't bear telling again. The one thing that bears telling - he is perfect for Arsenal.

It only takes a look at one of his interviews, before or after, an Arsenal game to see how much he respects the club. A mention of Arsenal or Arsene Wenger gets him in a tizzy, waxing lyrical about all things Arsenal. Here are some of his quotes about Arsenal:

“It makes me proud to hear that some Arsenal fans might want me.”

“For me, he is Sir Arsène Wenger, he is really something, I love him,”

“When I watch Arsenal in the last 10 years, it is nearly perfect football,”

Add to that his most recent quote about being interested in a move to the Premier League, it does become apparent that he would very much enjoy an offer from Arsenal.

Borussia Dortmund’s brand of football has a lot of takers, and Klopp’s man management skills are top notch judging by the respect his players have for him.

#4 Pep Guardiola

The most vaunted and venerated manager in Europe right now is Pep Guardiola. Like Mourinho, the Catalan manager is a recipe for success, only more beautiful in approach.

Guardiola has all the right ingredients to be a manager at Arsenal and the North London side has all the qualities that Guardiola appreciates in a club. The facilities are some of the best in the world, the team is full of technical players that would fit well in his possession hoarding style and the academy caters to his requirements. It is almost like a perfect match.

Hiring Guardiola is tough, but it would also be a drastic change in their identity. Guardiola would want to revamp the entire club and build it in his image of tiki-taka, not that anyone's complaining.

But it would take a bit longer get the desired success than the immediate change in fortunes some Arsenal fans would expect.

#5 Andre Villas-Boas

This will probably be an unpopular opinion, owing to his history with London rivals Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur. But he's probably the most fitting to be an Arsenal manager.

Villas-Boas has all the qualities of a top class manager. But for whatever reasons, he could never get his ideas across to players in the Premier League. His inexperience probably played a part in it and he's better for it now. He's had firsthand experience at two top Premier League clubs.

In his first season as Porto manager, he won the treble; winning an incredible 85% of matches en route to the league title. This does not just happen by luck. It takes a manager of incredible nous to lead a team like that. Though his stints at Chelsea and Tottenham were far from perfect, he has managed to pick himself up and is doing splendidly at Zenit.

Because of the similarities in his and Guardiola's approach to work, he is said to have been in Barcelona's shortlist before they hired Luis Enrique. Guardiola might be a hard catch, but Villas-Boas is more easily gettable for Arsenal.