Arsenal should have a new managerial target in mind!
There’s been plenty of talk these past two weeks about Arsene Wenger’s potential departure from Arsenal Football Club at the end of the season and after 20 years since joining the club, it seems Wenger may also wish to pass the role onto someone else.
Even though the season may have only just started and there is therefore a long way to go until we will find out if this is indeed Wenger’s last campaign in charge, it hasn’t stopped fans from wondering who may take over at the Emirates, once Le Prof does leave the club. A few names have popped up on more than one occasion, with Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe seemingly a firm favourite. Diego Simeone, the Atletico Madrid manager is also a name that has appeared in the media a fair bit, whilst a potential move for Jochaim Low may also be on the cards. The board at Arsenal are undoubtedly drawing up a shortlist and although Wenger himself may have a say in who he thinks should replace him at the helm of the team, the latest name to join the list of candidates is Everton boss Ronald Koeman.
Koeman, a legend of the professional game, has only been in England for a few years as a manager and has showed great managerial qualities during his time at Southampton. Koeman has since moved to Everton during the summer and although he had a shaky stint in pre-season, his Everton side remain unbeaten in the league and sit second in the table behind Manchester City.
It was Charlie Nicholas, who was speaking on Sky Sports about Koeman being a possible candidate for the Arsenal job, with Nicholas stating: “There’s a shrewdness about Koeman – he doesn’t complicate himself. Once he’s made his decision it’s all in. I just love his whole approach. I’ve said it before – if I was Arsenal and [Arsene] Wenger is ready to go, he would be the number one target for me.”
It may only be early days at Everton for Koeman, but he is certainly showing the same worth that he showed down on the south coast with Southampton. The only issue is that because he has only just started his stint in Merseyside, he may be hesitant to moving on after a single season.
Koeman does have the qualities Arsenal would like in a manager and he is proven in the Premier League with Southampton. With this in mind, Koeman therefore wouldn’t be too much of a gamble post Wenger, but with a big reputation to live up to, could Arsenal target someone with more managerial success. The Dutchman has of course managed some big clubs in his time, but hasn’t brought too much success to boast about. Something tells me that Arsenal may not have Koeman on their shortlist of candidates.
By AH