Arsenal New Manager: 5 managers who could replace Unai Emery as Gunner’s boss

Arsenal New Manager: 5 managers who could replace Unai Emery as Gunner’s boss. The Spaniard was sacked after Arsenal’s 2-1 loss to Frankfurt.

Unai Emery’s miserable stay at the Emirates was finally bought to an end after the Arsenal higher ups terminated his contract. The decision was made after Arsenal’s poor run in the last few months where they went winless in 7 games. The loss against Eintracht Frankfurt proved to be the final straw.

Also read: Granit Xhaka’s behaviour after loss to Eintracht Frankfurt leaves Arsenal fans furious

Former Arsenal player Freddie Ljunberg has been given the reins of the side in the short run.

However, the powers that be would want the situation at the club sorted preferably as soon as possible and will have already started looking at a long-term replacement. Let us look at the 5 candidates who could lead Arsenal as their new manager.

Nuno Espirito Santo

Unai Emery’s sacking was, but a matter of time. People had already been talking about his possible exit and the man pipped to replace him was Wolverhampton manager Nuno Espirito Santo. With the job now vacant, it is very likely that Arsenal will want to make contact with him.

Nuno does not have the experience of leading a club as huge as Arsenal. However, his efforts with Wolves speak for themselves. Last season, the team was performing above their weight and had an impressive record against the top 6 clubs.

Wolves also secured a place in European football last season and sit at 5^th place in the Premier League this season; above Manchester United, Tottenham and Arsenal. Although, it is likely that he may not want to leave Wolves in the middle of the season especially when they’re doing so well right now.

Earlier in the week, Nuno was fielded a question about the possibility of him taking the top job at north London. However, the Portuguese refused to give a direct answer and instead replied rather cryptically. “You know me well enough and you know I’m not going to answer that,” he said.

Mauricio Pochettino

Football has always been a business to the top brass of the leading clubs. However, this is the case now than it has ever been in the past. There is this huge desire for instant gratification. There is always this urgency of bringing in a top product than to nurture one.

It is for this reason clubs do not hesitate anymore to splash the dough on the best players; and as an extension, best managers. All the top clubs have in their employ a proven manager at the helm tied to long term contacts. Therefore, when one becomes available, many clubs line up for his signatures.

Pochettino may have failed to bring a trophy for Spurs. However, in his time there, he transformed them into challengers; and he did it in a fraction of the budget of the other top clubs. He may have plotted Arsenal’s downfall for over 5 years but now that he is available, the higher ups at Arsenal would surely consider bringing him in to engineer their revival as their new manager.

There is the question of how Arsenal fans would react to the appointment; should it happenor or whether Pochettino himself would even entertain the idea of going to Tottenham’s direct rival. However, with leading clubs such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and even Manchester United reportedly keen to bring him in, Arsenal will have to act fast.

Freddie Ljunberg

Freddie Ljunberg has been given the reigns of the team as the caretaker manager at the moment. He will be temporarily in charge of the side and will at least be at the helm when Arsenal take on Norwich in the Premier league. However, there is no reason why the former Arsenal player cannot take the job on a permanent basis.

There is a perfect example of the same happening and within the same league. Former Manchester United player Ole Gunnar Solskjaer led the Red Devils as an interim manager before securing the job on a permanent basis after stringing impressive results with the side.

Ljunberg is not only a former player but has also worked with the club’s reserves last season. He was promoted to Emery’s first team coaching set up after his brilliant work with the youngsters. He has an excellent working relationship with the youngsters in the squad and understands the values of the club both as a player and an in charge.

Should Arsenal begin to show massive improvements under the Swede and in short time, with the backing of the players, he could very well be given the top job on a permanent basis. This would also help Arsenal avoid playing huge sums to buy out the existing contracts of different top managers in other clubs.

Massimiliano Allegri

Like Pochettino, Massimiliano is currently out of work. Back in 2018, the Italian was considered among others as a replacement to the departing Arsene Wenger. In the end though, Unai Emery was given the job. 18 months later however, Allegri has once again forced himself into consideration.

According to Skysports, Arsenal wanted to bring in Jose Mourinho but the Portuguese has joined Tottenham. The club have since taken their sights to the other available manager in Allegri and have already made contact with him. However, his poor English skills could be a deterrent.

Regardless, Allegri is a proven winner and has numerous titles under his belt. He has won the Serie A with AC Milan and Juventus, including 5 times in 5 seasons with the latter. He also led Juventus to two Champions League finals. Unfortunately, he came out short on both occasions.

Patrick Vierra

Here’s a name that would be a popular choice with Arsenal fans. Fans have a special place in their heart for Patrick Vierra. After all, the club legend was the captain of the side during the 2003/04 Invincibles season.

Unai Emery fielded 9 captains during his reign at the Emirates. One could argue that none of them compare to the French man. With Vierra in the dressing room, the players would also have someone in the dressing room who understands what it is like to wear an Arsenal jersey.

Vierra though, does not have the most impressive of CV’s. In the past, he has led clubs like New York City FC and is currently in charge of Nice. However, Chelsea boss Frank Lampard also did not have the most impressive of numbers as club boss before taking over at Stamford Bridge and working wonders with the squad.

To assume that Vierra would succeed just as the Chelsea legend did is probably not ideal. However, a man who understands the value of the club and is as closely connected to Arsenal, is worth bringing up in the discussion for the post of the new manager.

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