Laurent Blanc favourite to take over Man United – Wenger not fancied

Arsene Wenger has told reporters that he expects to start a new job on January 1st, but the ex-Arsenal boss is unlikely to be taking the place of Jose Mourinho, who has been sacked by Man United after the defeat to their biggest rivals Liverpool.

According to the bookies, Laurent Blanc, the old PSG coach, who won 8 out of the 9 domestic trophies on offer in his three years in Paris but has not worked since, is the hot favourite. He is priced between Even money and 6/4 by most bookmakers.

Close behind is the surprise candidate Ole Gunnar Solksjaer who is currently at lowly Molde in Norway, but has taken them up to second place behind Rosenborg. He is as low as 2/1 in many lists.

Many pundits are tipping the ex-Real Madrid superstar and even better coach, Zinedine Zidane to take over, but he is priced variously between 3/1 and 8/1 depending on the bookie.

Next on the list is the Spurs boss, Mauricio Pochettino, and I don’t think many Arsenal fans would complain about that, and the outsiders consist of Arsene Wenger at 25/1. Carlos Quieroz, Michael Carrick, Nicky Butt and Ryan Giigs are all other ex-United men in the frame, and I think I would go for Giggs myself. Or what about Antonio Conte, the ex-Chelsea boss?

Who would you want to take over?

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48 Comments

  1. I would complain about Pochettino going to Man U. I respect him as a manager and can only think of what he could do with some real money behind him. Sure it would weaken Spurs if he left for Man U but it would most likely put Man U out of our reach. I would prefer Man U to try a foreign manager who has never managed in the PL.

    1. Poch has arguably a better squad than MU has so why would he go there but then again what has Poch ever won, eff all.

  2. Pogba tweeted today that Zidane had been seen in Manchester and that he , Pogba, did not believe in coincidence. I think he is right and that United will at least try hard for Zidane. I don’t think for one moment it will be Blanc. WENGER IS FOURTH FAVOURITE ON THE BOOKIES LISTS EARLY TODAY. No sane person believes that will happen for even a heartbeat. Mourinho can now do the job he was destined for, a childrens entertainer or stand up comic! NOT! SHAME HE WAS SACKED, AS IT HARMS US!

  3. I’ve just read that idiot who threw the banana has been banned from football for 4 years & fined £500… oh big deal… jeez!!

    1. What exactly was he charged with Sue? Any sentence will always depend on what exactly and what not he was found guilty of doing. I would like to know if you can please tell me. If racism was p[roved, which I doubt , the sentence should have been far stricter. If , as I suspect, it was for tghrowing a missile, a lesser offence, provided that missile was physically harmless, that sentence seems apt.

        1. That is unclear. It means nothing in law. Either he was charged with racial intent or he was not. I will now look into it and thanks for letting me know.

          1. It also said that one of our fans has a 3 year banning order & fined £650 for throwing an empty green bottle after Dier scored!!!!! Wth!!!!

            1. Sue, the statement from the magistrate Melvyn Mandela was ‘ we have in the circumstances found the racial element was there’.

  4. Once he was a manager who could do things, bend the will of the person to his outcome. Now you have to be smarter and more progressive and for the same reasons the knife fell on our old gaffer, other managers see the same fate. Results.

    Poch, Emery, Pep, Klopp – this is the order of age. Tuchel I thought would be the next manager but would suit young-long term strategy but united have fallen hard.

    Hit them where it hurts and sell outbound Ramsay + cash for Martial or Rashford.

    Test their will.

    1. One difference between United and Arsenal is that United draw a line much sooner. Mourinho brought CL football back to United and a Europa League trophy in his short spell in charge but when progress stalled United acted. Wenger was allowed years of decline and no progress.

      1. True. Equally true is Man United are a huge market ready club and arsenal where on their way. Different circumstances for 2 different clubs.

      2. Sorry Things are changing, but you got this one completely wrong.
        Arsene Wenger brought CL football to Arsenal for twenty consecutive years.
        Both he and maureen failed to bring CL football in their last two seasons, maureen was publically sacked, wenger resigned and was given a hero’s send off in his last home game against Burnley, during which he was given the invincible trophy by the club in recognition of his services to the club.
        Wenger also brought the Invincibles, twenty years of CL, twenty years of top four finishes, seven fa cup wins and three premierships…is that the one difference you are referring to by any chance?

        1. Ken I think you misunderstood my post. I don’t read myself saying Wenger did nothing for the club. For me, there was a significant decline over his last 3-5 years. In 2015/16 we were 10 points out of first, 2016/17 we were 18 points out of first and in his final year we were 37 points out of first and it felt like it. That qualifies as a decline in my book. It surprises me you don’t see that or don’t recall that.

          You seem to say both Wenger and Mourinho failed to bring CL football in their last two seasons yet Man U are in the CL and finished 2nd in the PL last season that is a significant improvement from 6th place the season before when the won the Europa League.

          So the difference I am referring to is that whilst Man U finished 2nd last season and won the Europa League the season before, they sack their manager half way the following season when results are on the decline. Wenger didn’t get sacked until his 3rd season of decline was over.

  5. Good riddance to him. So full of himself. Such a football coaching dinosaur so quickly after a few years. Hardly any tears for him. He is 15 million quid richer though.

    Wenger won’t touch United with a long pole. He can’t see himself in the dugout against Arsenal in England. So it is not a case of they not wanting him, it rather is him not wanting them.

    How I wish they struggle till the end of this season and actually flirt with relegation!

    Dark thoughts, I know. But honestly, I don’t know who I detest more between that lot and our neighbours in North London.

    1. Personally I detest Chelsea more than any other club. I go way back long before Fergie to when Busby ran United and it was a decent club(I do not refer to just the team but the way the club was run ) Also Spurs, though rivals, have never been other than a proper football club IMO and though I of course want them to,fail, it is only through healthy local rivalry, nothing more sinister. Chelski is owned by a Russian corrupt gangster in league with Putin and City are oil rich and spoiling football with their obscene wealth which is destroying real competition. Similarly I have no real dislike of Liverpool, who have always been very good to their fans and a real family club. Other than us I would far rather -of the big clubs and therefore possible winners- that Liverpool won the title. They and esp Klopp, who WE could and SHOULD have had as our manager, had our board not been dinosaurs, are a proper club which I only want to lose as they are rivals. No other reason. I always try to be fair.

  6. Sorry but don’t give a toss about Jose, Utd, or who their next manager will be. I wish Wenger health and enjoyment, but don’t care where he manages, if ever at all.

    I agree with Jon about Klopp; I wanted him as well when he was available. Would have been nice getting the band back together with him and Sven. That opportunity has long since passed, and I’m pleased with Emery’s results so far. A bit perturbed about our janky defense though, one of our weakest parts and nothing has been done to fix that aspect.

    Emery prefers to win 4-3 than 1-0, but that just avoids the issue all together. Without a solid defense and the defensive training, it’s unrealistic that we climb up the table. Naive to think we can surpass Liverpool or City by merely outscoring them, or by not addressing our defensive frailties.

    I agree with most that Emery needs time (and money) to get in his players to perform in his system. However, I would like to see some improvement on the defensive side of things. He mentions them in press conferences, but after 5 months the lapses on defense continue.

    1. Durand, As ever from you, sound comments on our poor defence. It is clear however dedicated and motivating Emery is-and he most certainly IS – no one can make a silk purse from a sows ear. In our outfield defence we are full of sows ears and have been for years past. It is a disgrace that Wenger cared nothing and never even tried to bring in a decent DM for a disgraceful whole decade. It took the new regime less than a month to bring in the wonderful Torreira. Comparisons eh? But overall we have no fit defenders who are proper quality defenders. Not a single one. Sokratis has real aggession which helps but is not top draw and the injured Holding apart, he is still our best by far. People , some of them at least, are expecting miracles but it is unfair to Emery to blame his for the dross he is left to work with. Kroenke and Wenger/ Gazidis are the ones entirely to blame.

      1. Oh dear Jon, still going on and on that everything wrong today harks back to Arsene Wenger.
        Let me just REMIND YOU that under UNAI EMERY we bought a goalkeeper, a right back, a centre back and a defensive midfield player with most of the budget available (the same pallpark that Arsene Wenger had).
        UNAI EMERY also offered increased contracts to Bellerin, Mustafi, Holding and Xhaka, WHY DID HE OFFER NEW CONTRACTS IF HE DIDN’T RATE THEM?
        Are you aware that all the above are defenders that UNAI EMERY saw as good enough for him and so he actioned their contracts?
        So just WHERE AND WHEN do you start to, at least, question what UNAI EMERY is actually doing with new signings and increasing contracts of those players you consider dross?
        The above has NOTHING TO DO WITH WENGER, he had resigned before the new players were signed and new contracts offered?

        UNAI EMERY is now experiencing the same injury nightmares that Arsene Wenger endured at times and, remember who was blamed?
        I do.
        Wenger and his medical team for not training and acting on injuries correctly.
        Just go back to the third round fa cup tie at Forest, look at the team that had to be played due to injuries, the like of which Unai is experiencing now.
        The Huddersfield and Southampton games were as woeful as that particular game and others during Wengers last two years, yet not once are you willing to say just that and question the contracts signed by Emery.
        I still believe Unai Emery is the right choice, but, as gooners, we need to question Emery and NOT just blame Wenger as the easy target for all the ills that fans see.
        I agree with Durand and wish Arsene all the best for the future and thank him for the past glories.
        I care nowt about Maureen, but am so pleased he has taken manure to the brink of meltdown, just as (READ THIS NEXT PART JON AND UNDERSTAND THAT SENSIBLE AND UNBIASED FANS REMEMBER BOTH THE GOOD AND BAD PARTS) Wenger did in his last two years.

        1. Nice points Ken, and I agree with you on the Emery part of defense. I do blame Wenger for our defense getting so shoddy year after year and not addressing the issue. Holding appears to be good business for a fantastic price, and I believe Wenger chose him. However, Mustafi is on Wenger, and the lack of defensive coaching also, just as Bellerin and Mustafi have said.

          That being said, I also questioned Emery, and still do regarding our poor defense. He knew so much during his interview, I wonder if he addressed that side of the club at all?
          Emery has been here for 5 months, and enough to have some impact on the defense. Unfortunately, we still get beat on headers, set pieces and corner kicks by our opponents have me biting my fingernails. I see no difference, and hold him to account like I did Wenger. Hopefully time will tell a different story, and hoping Wenger finds so happiness and neither him nor Utd seem interested in one another.

          1. Steve Bould appears to be still earning “money for nothing”.
            I believe the CB’s from the U23’s should be given opportunities. Jenkinson appears to have improved as well.

        2. ?
          Spot on Ken!
          I get so sick of all the blames being heaped on Wenger each time something happens to Arsenal which some fans are not so happy about. Even now that he is not anywhere close to being in charge, people are still too obsessed with him, and don’t waste any time to shift the faults to him. Please, this blame game should stop. Let us all leave the man in peace to live his quiet life. He has done his own part and handed the baton to another person. He does not deserve all this hatred at least not anymore.

      2. Despite our poor defenders, we are still 4 points or 13% ahead of last season (34 vs 30 points) after 17 games in the PL. That would translate into 8 more points in his first season which would far surpass my expectations.

        More importantly, we play in a manner that makes me proud of our club again. We play like we care.

        1. Now those comments are much more realistic than blaming AW for the current situation we are in.
          Just would like to point out though, you haven’t answered the questions regarding “our poor defenders” and why Unai’s new signings and contract extensions.
          Plus, even with those extra eight points, we wouldn’t qualify for the CL, one of the clubs priorities.
          I agree that we are playing differently this season, I am proud of the club, but ask you if you think they gave 100% to Unai against Wolves, Huddersfield and Southampton?
          Wasn’t that one of the accusations made against AW?

          1. It seems like the club has a new structure so contracts are not on Unai but the higher ups. The contract extensions are on the back of Sanchez and Ozil debacles last year so it seems one of the first orders of business was to make sure this did not happen again.

            Give the players extensions so their transfer values do not decline as the manager would need time to assess the squad. The club would also need a few SUMMER transfer windows to get the squad in order. A team can not be fully turned over in one summer window.

            The contract extensions are probably more to protect asset values of CURRENT (NOT NECESSARILY FUTURE) key squad members.

            1. Marc. but we are told that AWs defenders were the dross of the premiership.
              So what assets are we protecting?
              Are you also saying that Unai has no say in contracts and players?
              If that’s the case, why are we “waiting” for Emery’s players to be signed?

              Durand, as you know I have never said AW was blameless and Mustafi is prime example.
              But to keep harking on about AW is like a broken record and we should be questioning Unai, not using AW as a blanket to cover up for his mistakes.

              1. would you prefer us not giving them extensions, losing half our squad for £0 and then having to replace all of them for hundreds of millions that we don’t even have? use your head mate, forget your love in with Wenger, I’m tired of players holding the club the ransom. with or without unai they would a been offered contracts, even if only just to get a decent fee for them in future

                1. AlexLaca9, firstly if they are dross, why not put them up for sale while they are in their CURRENT contracts?
                  That way the club saves money on the increased salaries that start immediately if a new contract is agreed.
                  Have you forgotten about Ramsey and the fact that we are going to lose him for nothing BECAUSE the club decided he was not worth the money he was reportedly asking for after agreeing a new contract?
                  So what makes you think that the players mentioned would automatically get new transfers if, as it seems, the club are quite willing to lose between £20 – £40 million on Ramsey?
                  As for your comments regarding AW, try and be a little more mature otherwise debating with you becomes pointless, as just like you I am tired of players holding the club to ransom.
                  How do you feel about clubs deceiving players by offering them new contracts whilst knowing that they have no plans for them in the future?

                  1. pardon my “use your head” comment, in hindsight I realise it was very low of me. I’d just like to say I admire your respect for Wenger and how persistently you fight for what is a legend and icon of this club. its just the wounds are still fresh I guess, but no one can deny what he has done for this club.
                    regarding the contract situation, i do think morally its wrong offering contracts to players you see no future with but financially it males sense, like a lot of things in life nowadays unfortunately, but can we then deduce that there is something inherently wrong about the transfer system in football? what are your thoughts on the trading system employed in the NFL? do you think that might be a better way or indeed even the future?

                    1. AlexLaca9,thanks for the reasoned reply and the points you make.
                      I honestly don’t know the answer to the transfer situation, but firmly believe players agents are the root of so much that is wrong in this area of foootball today.
                      I think that’s why we are losing Ramsey for nothing at the end of the season…the agent was going to make pots of money whether Ramsey signed for us or negotiated a new clubfor him.
                      The agent has no loyalty to anyone except the mighty £ sign and I’m not sure if that is how it works in NFL.
                      Let’s hope we get a good result tonight anyway my fellow gooner and thanks for the debate to date.

              2. I mostly agreed with you Ken, and I’ve been questioning why Emery has gotten defense sorted in any way shape or form.

                I’m sure you read that in my comments, and merely mentioned AW to add context to the situation. Emery inheirited this defense, and it needs much more that Torreria to shield them.

                We are still wanting when it comes to defending. 3 crosses did us in last match, yet positioning didn’t change, Kos let Austin have free run. Wondering what Emery said at halftime, if anything.

                Emery is managing now. His fault for the coaching and tactics, or lack thereof. Think Raul and Huss decide contracts, Emery probably a consultant.

                1. We have commented on here a lot about the previous management team allowing contracts being allowed to run down, an interesting article detailed that all clubs appear to be in a similar position, for example Man Utd have 10 players out of contract in the summer with estimated value in excess of £120 million. It’s not just us!

                  1. Mwsupporterer you are correct; Arsenal is not alone. Ramsey was offered a renewed contract at Arsenal for over 18 months, but sat on his hands thinking he would bluff the club into a bigger deal.
                    Erikson is currently refusing to sign a new contract at Spurs and he won’t be the last.

          2. Ken I looked for the question regarding poor defenders you say I have not answered but can’t find it. Can you direct me? I will try to answer it once I find it.

  7. I am glad that we won t see Mourinhoho hoo face that often anymore! Just “afraid” that he is perfect for 5pur2 when Pochettino go somewhere else.
    Mourinho is and always was too defensive and ManUtd fans must admit that they would never sacked him if he had any results cos ManUtd never cared about nice football or attacking one. They always had Fergie time and whole FA and BBC (and pthers) on their side!
    Frak Mourinhooo Frak United!

    1. lol thought it was only me surprised at all this “attacking” football manU are supposedly missing. I remember united for their character, fight and ability to get results even when their playing bad. not their pretty attacking football. lol the biggest club in the world… R.Madrid anyone??

  8. For some reason I feel kinda bad for mourinho. I don’t think he would ever get an offer to manage a high profile club again due to obvious reasons, maybe he might go back to serie A and join one of the Milan clubs and hope for a resurrection of some sort other than that…it’s the end of the road! OFF Topic: I just watched the squad training for tomorrow’s game and saw that kid saka training with the squad I hope emery starts him just to see how he would perform when the pressure is on and seems like the right stage to put him on!

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