Even though Arsene Wenger said this weekend that he is not quite ready to ‘get a rest’ from the Arsenal manager’s job just yet, it has not stopped the rumour mill from conjuring up new candidates and possibilities about who could replace him or how the transition could be handled.
With the lack of any obvious successor at the moment, a new idea has been thrown up by the Gunners legend Martin Keown suggesting that Arsene himself should be given a simple one-season extension, and therefore give him the time to pinpoint the man to replace him. “My gut feeling is that he’ll stay and then it’s really how long he’ll stay for,” said Keown. “I imagine he’ll be given more time but I think maybe only one more season.
“Then the club can row back from that if they need to. If he was to win the Champions League or the league they could look at extending it again.
“But to get everyone on board and for the fans to buy into it, it would be like a one season to go, one more season for Wenger, and it would give the great man the time he deserves.”
“The problem you have is Arsene Wenger is a very special individual. You’re inspired when you’re in his company,”
“The board and the people around him, the decisions they’ve made, he’s had a huge influence in those, so they can’t just snatch him away.
“He has to help the club decide when the right moment is. We are getting closer to that. It’s the timing of his exit that needs to be planned.
“If he was to go at the end of the season I’m not sure the club would be ready. Which manager they would turn to?
“We’ve seen Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola arrive at Liverpool and City and they’ve not been successful either in terms of winning trophies.”
Well what do you think of that? Personally I think it would be great if Wenger spent a year pinpointing his successor, or even appointing someone this summer and keeping Wenger on as a mentor for a season to teach the new arrival the intricacies of running the club?
Do you agree or do you think we should have a straight split and the new boss has full control immediately?
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