Arsenal may have returned to usual business with a relatively routine 2-0 win over Hull City on Saturday but with their Premier League title bid already over and the seemingly insurmountable obstacle of Bayern Munich on the horizon in the Champions League, the subject of Arsene Wenger’s future continues to linger in the north London air.
No doubt, we’ve been here before with ‘Le Prof’. But his contract is due to expire at the end of the season, Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez appear reluctant to commit their futures to the club and Arsenal are almost certain to end their Premier League campaign as also-rans once again, so change feels largely inevitable as the rest of the English top flight moves into a new era.
But, as Manchester United have proved since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Unless the Gunners want to endure a few campaigns in the wilderness, it’s essential they choose the right successor to their generation-spanning gaffer.
With that in mind, we asked our Arsenal readers last week to vote for who’d they’d like to see replace Wenger in the Gunners dugout next season. The results are now in, so here’s a rundown of the top THREE…
3. Thomas Tuchel
Borussia Dortmund aren’t quite the force they were under Jurgen Klopp but by all accounts, Thomas Tuchel has proved a worthy successor to the now Liverpool boss, maintaining their emphasis on energetic, attacking football and developing talented young players whilst producing decent results, his side coming second in the Bundesliga last season. The current campaign hasn’t been quite so kind to the Black-Yellows, however, who are in fourth, which is perhaps why the 43-year-old didn’t come higher in our poll.
2. Diego Simeone
Seen by many as the last remaining superstar manager yet to work in the Premier League, Diego Simeone’s achievements at Atletico Madrid have constituted nothing less than minor miracles. Indeed, he picked the club up in a precarious financial position and has since lead the Mattress Makers to a Europa League title, two Champions League finals and most significantly, the first non-El-Clasico La Liga title in a decade. That’s despite having to sell his best players pretty much every summer. Clearly an incredibly talented manager, but the direct antithesis of the Arsene Wenger philosophy of open, expansive football. Would world football’s greatest opportunist simply bring too much change to north London?
1. Max Allegri
It didn’t take long for Antonio Conte to show what all the fuss was about after moving to the Premier League and many are predicting his successor at Juventus, Max Allegri, to have a similar effect. Although the Italian inherited a title-winning side from his compatriot, that shouldn’t take away from how he’s looked to further improve the Old Lady, maintaining their Serie A dominance with two titles whilst doing what Conte couldn’t – guide the club to a Champions League final. A smart tactician and passionate character, still aged just 49, his widespread appeal has clearly caught the imagination of the Arsenal fan base.
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Results
