Analysis of all 8 possible new Arsenal managers

Who will be Arsene Wenger’s successor by Lance

For most Arsenal fans, the news on Friday of Arsene Wenger leaving the club in the summer after nearly 22 years in charge as manager came as a big surprise even to those who had been calling for his sack.

Now that Le Professor has taken the iniatiative to announce his departure, the next question for the fans, will be who replaces the Arsenal legend.

From articles on numerous Arsenal fan sites and the media, a number of names keep popping up as the preferred choice of the supporters.

Among the names are Carlo Ancelloti, Maximiliano Allegri, Antonio Conte, Leonardo Jardim, Diego Simeone, Thomas Tuchel, Luis Enrique and Brendan Rodgers.

Perhaps with the exception of Rodgers, most Arsenal fans will welcome any of the other seven managers as Wenger’s replacement.

Though the decision on who to replace Wenger rests with owner Stan Kroenke and the board, there is nothing wrong for the fans to make their preference known through their contributions and suggestions.

To make it easier, therefore, for the fans, I have taken the time to do a little research on each of the managers listed above to enable the supporters to make an informed choice.

1). Brendan Rodgers:- Aged 45, he has managed at Watford, Reading, Swansea, Liverpool and is currently at Celtic.
Honours: Scottish Premiership 2016/17; Scottish Cup, 2016/17; Scottish League Cup, 2016/17; LMA Manager of the Year 2013/14; Scotland Manager of the Year 2016/17.

2). Thomas Tuchel:- Born 44 years ago, Tuchel has managed at Augsburg, Mainz and Borussia Dortmund.
Honours: DFB-Pokal Cup 2016/17.
Tuchel is currently out of work but media reports say that he has signed a deal to manager PSG next season. If the reports are true, that means he is not available.

3). Antonio Conte:- Currently the manager of Chelsea FC, Conte, 48, has also managed at Atalanta, Bari and Juventus. He also managed the Italian national team previously.
Honours:- Series A title 2011/12; 2012/13 and 2013/14; Super Coppa Italia 2012 and 2013; EPL title with Chelsea 2016/17; LMA Manager of the Year 2016/17 and Best FIFA Men’s Coach (2nd Place) 2017.

4). Leonardo Jardim:- Aged 44, Jardim has managed at Braga, Sporting CP, and Olympiacos before joining Monaco.
Honours:- Super League Greece 2012/13; Greek FA Cup 2012/13 and Ligue 1 with Monaco 2016/17.
The best FIFA Men’s Coach (3rd Place) 2017.

5). Diego Simeone:- Born in 1970, Simeone has coached Racing Club, River Plate and Estudiantes, all in his native Argentina and Catania, Italy. He is currently the manager of Atletico Madrid.
Honours:- 2006 Argentine Primera Division 1Torneo Apertura with River Plate; 2008 Argentine Primera Division 1 Torno Clausura; La Liga title with Atletico Madrid 2013/14; Copa del Rey 2012/13; Super Copa de Espana 2014; UEFA Europa Cup 2011/12 and UEFA Super Cup 2012; UEFA Champions League Runner up 2013/14 and 2015/16; La Liga Coach of the Year 2012/13, 2013/14; IFFHS World Best Coach 2016 and European Coach of the Season 2011/12.

6). Maximiliano Allegri:- The current Juventus manager has previously managed at Cagliari and AC Milan.
Honours:- Aged 51, Allegri has won the Serie A title with Juve in 2014/15, 2015/16 and 2016/17. He also won the Series A with Milan in 2010/11.
Other titles won by Allegri are Super Coppa Italia 2011 and 2015; Coppa Italia 2014/15, 2015/16 and 2016/17.
Allegri won Serie A Coach of the Year 2011, 2015 and 2016;
IFFHS World Best Club Coach (3rd Place) 2015 and 2016
IFFHS World Best Club Coach (2nd Place) 2017.
The best FIFA Men’s Coach (3rd Place) 2017.

7). Carlo Ancelloti:- Fifty-eight year old Ancelloti has managed at AC Milan, PSG, Juventus, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
Honours:- UEFA Intertoto Cup with Juve 1999; Series A 2003/4 with Milan; Coppa Italia 2002/3; Super Coppa Italia 2004; UEFA Champions League 2002/3, 2006/7, 2013/14; UEFA Super Cup 2003 and 2007. Others are FIFA Club World Cup 2007; EPL 2009/10, FA Cup 2009/10, FA Community Shield 2009; Ligue 1 2012/13; Copa del Rey 2013/14; UEFA Super Cup 2014; FIFA Club World Cup 2014; Bundesliga 2016/17, DFL Super Cup 2016, 2017. Individual honours won are Series A Coach of the Year 200, 2004; Ligue 1 Manager of the Year 2012/2013; IFFHS World Best Coach 2007 and 2014; European Coach of the Year 2003; FIFA World Coach of the Year (Runner up) 2014; Enzo Bearzot Award 2014.
Ancelloti is currently out of work and therefore available.

8). Luis Enrique:- Enrique, who will be 48 in May, has managed Roma, Celta Vigo and Barcelona.
Honours:- La Liga 2014/15, 2015/16; Copa del Rey 2014/15, 2025/16; Super Copa de Espana 2016; UEFA Champions League 2014/15, UEFA Super Cup 2015 and FIFA Club World Cup 2015.
Individual honours include La Liga Coach of the Year 2015, FIFA World Coach of the Year 2015, IFFHS World Best Club Coach 2015, World Soccer Magazine Manager of the Year 2015, European Coach of the Year (Alf Ramsey Award) 2015 and European Coach of the Season 2014/15.
Enrique is currently on sabbatical and plans to return to football management in the summer.

From the information provided above, it is clear Arsenal is spoiled for choice and Wenger’s departure could not have come at a better time when some of these world class managers are available. Football is about winning trophies and I think it is clear who should replace Wenger. But let me not presume to choose for you wonderful and knowledgeable Gooners. So over to you, make your choice.

By Lance.

38 Comments

  1. For me there are about three or two names here, Luis Enrique, Maximiliano Allegri and Thomas Tuchel, however from the three names mentioned above, personally i would prefer any of of the 1st two. Thomas Tuchel has not convinced me that much in his time with Dortmund, however the other two have, i also hope that Arsenal will announce the new manager ASAP.

      1. He makes lots of notes in the first half but it turns out it always just says:

        Burger with cheese
        Fries
        Curly fries
        Onion rings
        Chocolate milkshake
        Sundae

        No wonder he put on weight at LFC

  2. Only Diego Simeone or Ancelotti….
    Simeone because he knows how to compete at top level with limited budgets….
    Ancelotti because vast experience and major honours but I would still Prefer Simeone because it is not easy to win La Liga with so much low budget against high spending Real Madrid and Barcelona….
    Arsenal Cannot afford to spend as much as 2 Manchester clubs and Chelsea so I think we need a Manager who can stay within budget and compete on high levels so I think Simeone is perfect for it…

    1. Simeone is the only one with a the steel to turn the defense around, and he can bring in Griezmann to play with Laca.

      The thing is to be able to play on a budget that will be 4th-5th in the EPL. Simeone also knows the top managers he is up against int he EPL.

      There is no other choice. Pay Simeone 7M plus bonus of 2M per cup or title.

  3. Diego Simeone- aside achieving big with relatively low budget… Simeone has that passion and discipline in his players that has been lacking at d club since the time of Viera as captain..
    with Simeone there is no lackadaisicality from his players… d type, Ozil,Bellerin,Cech,Xhaka,Giroud etc show on a regular.
    he is also a tactical boss when needed… and against popular believe he actually plays good football, especially against the lower teams (that isnt Bayern,Barca,Madrid)….

    1. Ozil and Mkhitaryan aren’t gonna want to play under Simeone. It’s similarly why many attacking players fail under Mourinho. These are two big names and allot went on their wages, I doubt a manager like Simeone will be arriving. I’d expect an attack minded manager.

      1. No. Griezmann likes it there.

        I think one Arsenal’s back four do not leak goals, 2nd to 3rd is possible. Winnning the EPL is not in the cards without spending like champions.

  4. Some of the managers on that list have a lot of experience, even at relatively young ages. I think that many of them could do the job and take Arsenal forward.
    1) Of the Ex Arsenal players linked with the job, the only one I would consider at the moment is Viera, and he himself says he is not ready for it. One for the future perhaps.
    2) Rodgers seems to be happy at Celtic and thats fine by me.
    3) Tuchel, Mislintat, enough said, No.
    4) Conte, probably going back to the Italian national team, plus Ex Chelsea? No.
    5) Jardim, young, talented, good with developing younger players, won the French league and has done ok in the Champions league for a club with limited resources. Apparently interested in managing a bigger club. I would have him on my shortlist.
    6) Simeone, why would he want to leave Atletico? Possibly too big a culture shock. No.
    7) Allegri, took a good team, and improved it, but had also won the league with an earlier club. Also the way he got Juventus to beat Tottenham a few weeks ago shows some skill. Been learning English for several years now, has always intended to manage in the premiership, may see Arsenal as a step up in terms of challenge and resources avaiable to him at least. I would have him on my shortlist.
    8) Ancelotti, available and has won a massive amount of stuff. Is he more of a three year manager and move on though. Could work if he had a young ex arsenal assistant manager who might take over when he left. Worth considering.
    9) Enrique, available and has won a massive amount of stuff with Barcelona, over a three year period. Can he do it with another club, in another league, also would probably only stay for three years. Tempting, but no.
    10) Other young managers mentioned, Howe, Nagelsmann etc. Taking over Arsenal is going to be hard enough, doing that and winning stuff needs someone who knows what they are doing. Not won anything, so Im not interested.

    So thats it for me:
    Allegri if you want a world class manager now, who would have a good chance winning trophies both domestically and in the European competitions.
    Jardim if you want a young manager who has a lot of potential, can develop players without needing to buy big name stars and may well become a world class manager in the future.
    Ancellotti if you want a shorter term solution to get Arsenal through the post Wenger trauma and hopefully bring through a younger ex Arsenal player to manage when he goes. Assuming that matters to the board/fans.

  5. I doubt Tuchel would work well with Milinstat since they clash in Dortmund about sales of players. Jardim is far too inexperienced. Ancelotti is the only candidate that is qualified to manager Arsenal.

    1. Why is Jardim too inexperienced? He has bundles of CL experience and won the French league on a much smaller budget than PSG, losses many of his best players and still sits 2nd this year.

      Whether you are Pep or Klopp a new manager will always take some time to get used to the PL but to get a manager who won’t demand 1 billion investment and is used to get his team punching above their weight in gold for Arsenal.

      Jardim brings the right balance of defensive discipline and attacking flair. Enrique might need Messi’s and Suarez’s etc to enforce his Barca like playing style. At Arsenal, we don’t have that type of talent.

  6. MY feelings tell me Arsenal next Manager will be Enrique if he drops his wage demand or Jardim if you with Gazidis statements during press conference/Wenger’s tribute

    1. My gut says Enrigue too. Our Director of football was probably chosen for this purpose as Wenger didn’t want a say in it. PSG manager is Spanish too, if Arsene goes there or he leaves I wouldn’t rule him out. Though Enrigue’s relationship with Raul S. makes this one very likely.

      1. you right on that one, PSG manager (Unai) doesnot have a profile to coach arsenal but on Enrique side those big spanish teams responsibility does not lie to manager only they do have a setup where more people are involved to air their opinion when you come to transfer and they do have veto power to bring in a player even if a coach/manager doesnt agree with it arsenal side all the bucks were on wenger’s hand he decided who was going out/coming in and who stays and it simply backfire on him – he was running Arsenal like a warfare as long as you are loyal and mediocre you stay and get a pay rise even if you not good enough Mert, Walcott are good example of that. And was very offensive when he came out one day before news of his depart talking about attendance and said it didnt bother him since almost all seasons tickets are gone

  7. Wenger as interim manager if we cannot find his successor? Haha!

    Seriously though, what has been Arsenal’s biggest problem, every season for as long as I can remember? DEFENDING! Who’s the best defensive manager on that list? SIMEONE! Another reason why Simeone is the best option is because of finances. It may still be the same case of a lack of funds for the new manager, and Simeone has been working with a much smaller budget than Wenger, yet massively out performing him. He’d also be the best at instilling some much needed discipline in the squad. You wouldn’t see Ozil taking about 6 sick days a season under Simeone!

    1. How many minutes has Ozil played? I did not realize that he was so poor in terms of time in the middle.

  8. I still have a feeling they’d announce Jens Lehmann. I’m still struggling to understand why he doesn’t have a designated backroom role but is officially listed on the backroom staff, Pires have also been hanging around the club a lot but he isn’t listed.

  9. Allegri please….The guy is a technician and has a winning record… Simeone is also a good coach but his style of play is not suited to Arsenal players so I doubt the board would pick him.. Am not so convinced about Enrique as he is someone to run away when things do not go his way…Ancelloti? Too old for my liking, no future

  10. Jardim- no-brainer. Is also used to manage on a small budget and plays attractive but disciplined football. Has CL experience and beat PSG to the French title. Managed to stay 2nd in the French league despite losing many of his most promising players. Is used to bringing along young talent.

  11. Luis Enrique failed with one of the best teams in Europe so i don’t think he would do a good job with lesser quality players, we should bring in a manager that has been able to perform even without quality players someone like Leonardo Jardim, Thomas Tuchel, Eusebio Di Francesco, Maurizio Sarri though his age might be a factor

  12. Why is Brendan Roger’s name even on the list? Just let him keep on ‘living his dream’ north of the border.

    My first choice would be Max Allegri a superb tactition and a winner. Mind you I would love to see the players’ faces if Simeone was given the job. A ‘whiter shade of pale’ I think!!

    I agree with Arnold they may have already gone for Enrique.

  13. Jardim strikes me as a younger version of Arsene Wenger.That will do me nicely for until he reached 60 AW was a great Manager.

  14. Outside shouts
    Laurent blanc- League and cup titles with bordeaux, league and cup titles with psg, managed france national team. Plays attacking football. But hasn’t coached outside of france.

    Maurizio sarri- His napoli plays one of the best if not best attacking footbal in europe. Could win league title this season. But hasn’t won a title yet in his carrier as napoli is his first big club.

    Unai emery- europa league titles with sevilla, league and cup treble with psg. Plays attacking football. Massive experience from coaching in different countries.

    1. It’s Jardim man! done and dusted! and maybe Enrique, Arteta being mentioned also he might be just be a cover of something to divert attention

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