Reports from Sky Sports suggest that Luis Enrique formerly of Barcelona and Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri are the frontrunners to replace veteran Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger this summer.
Wenger saw his side hammer Burnley 5-0 at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon in his final game in charge of the north London outfit on home soil. As expected he received a warm reception.
However, in truth, the Frenchman’s exit is long overdue. Wenger deserved credit for everything he achieved in his first decade in north London. However, he also deserves criticism for the rest of his time at Arsenal.
The team have gone backwards in recent seasons, as the Frenchman allowed complacency to settle into the team. The players received undying loyalty from Wenger, but they did not repay the former Monaco boss. Instead, they produced a brand of mediocre football that has now seen the Gunners miss out on the Champions League in the last two seasons.
Arsenal hierarchy has a golden chance to hire a winner
For me, Enrique, Allegri or even Carlo Ancelotti would all be good appointments. However, Enrique and Allegri are slightly younger and may have more hunger for success.
Both are top-class bosses and their trophy collections with Barcelona and Juventus illustrate their credentials as such. Arsenal needs somebody who will come in and change the whole easy-oozy mentality amongst the Gunners squad. The Arsenal hierarchy has a golden opportunity to put Arsenal back on the map with the right appointment.
It is not as if they do not have a number of great options. Surely, a boss with any sort of managerial ability will come in and overhaul the current squad.
They have a good chance to end the mediocre performances of the Gunners in recent seasons. Yes, they have won the FA Cup on three occasions, but they have also slipped way behind their top-six rivals too.
Arsenal need to stop the decline this summer
The top men at Arsenal must see that the team needs to be performing better on the pitch next season. For much of the Premier League era, Arsenal have been title contenders.
This season the team from north London were fighting Burnley off for a top-six finish. No disrespect to Burnley, they have been fantastic, but Arsenal are one of the traditional powerhouses of English football.
They need a boss that will not accept average or have loyalty to a group of players that were never good enough to get the Gunners back to where they belong.
Allegri the favourite for the job
At the moment, Juventus boss Allegri is the favourite to be appointed as Arsenal boss at 7/4. Former Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti and Liverpool assistant boss Zeljko Buvac are not far behind the Italian.
Enrique is longer odds to replace Wenger. However, that could be because Chelsea are sniffing around the Spaniard to replace boss Antonio Conte this summer. The former Roma boss could have a difficult decision to make this summer.
In terms of bosses, I do believe that Allegri could be a very good appointment. The Italian has proven his managerial ability during his time at Juventus. The Bianconeri have performed well at home and abroad. If it was not for those pesky Real Madrid boys, Allegri may have won the Champions League as well as the Italian title on soon to be four occasions.
There could be an obstacle in appointing either of the Gunners top targets though, as both are reportedly concerned about the clubs management structure, as the new boss will have to work closely with the head of football relations Raul Sanllehi and head of recruitment Sven Mislintat.
However, hopefully, Arsenal can convince one of their top targets to take the job, as both bosses have the experience, acumen and profile to be very good appointments for the Gunners. Knowing Arsenal, though, they are no doubt going to make it difficult for themselves. I just hope they do not have to compromise on their new boss because of that aforementioned managerial structure.
Who will be Arsenal’s next boss?
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