The end of Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal career looks to be drawing closer, with media reports that Carlo Ancelotti is “a serious candidate to replace him”.
Wenger, who arrived in north London in October 1996, penned a new two-year deal last summer - to the incredulity of many given that the Gunners haven’t won a major trophy since claiming the 2004 Premier League title, reports the London Evening Standard.
After drawing 0-0 with Chelsea in last night’s semi-final first leg, Arsenal have nothing left to play for this season other than the Europa League and Carabao Cup, and there is a growing feel within the Emirates that it’s time Wenger moved on.
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According to the Standard, his position “will be reviewed in May”, but even if Arsenal did win a minor trophy between now and then, it’s hard to see how the Frenchman could stay.
Effectively out of the title race by the end of November - despite not having to contend with the additional burden of the Champions League this season - Arsenal were humiliatingly dumped out of the FA Cup on Sunday by Nottingham Forest. It was the first time they have gone out at the third round stage since 1996.
Arsenal have already started restructuring how the club is run as they look to enter a new era without the fraught few seasons that Manchester United endured following Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013.
The idea, says the Standard, “is to reduce the dependency on the manager, thereby providing an additional degree of stability”.
In other words, when the new man comes in there will already be a strong infrastructure in place - and the newspaper says Ancelotti could arrive this summer.
The Arsenal board believe he possesses the “sufficient gravitas and experience to steer the club forward”, having coached the likes of Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain.
The Standard reports that Ancelotti, who was sacked by Bayern Munich in September, is moving back to London with his family next month.
Chelsea are also reportedly in touch with their former boss, in the event that Antonio Conte quits Stamford Bridge, but it’s believed the 58-year-old Ancelotti would relish the opportunity to take the reins at Arsenal, particularly as they have a less volatile owner than Roman Abramovich.
Arsenal next manager betting odds
We look at the latest odds on who may replace Arsene Wenger as next manager of Arsenal...
Paddy Power
- Carlo Ancelotti: 11/2
- Thomas Tuchel: 6/1
- Diego Simeone: 6/1
- Massimiliano Allegri: 13/2
- Patrick Vieira: 7/1
- Jorge Sampaoli: 10/1
- Zinedine Zidane 10/1
- Luis Enrique: 12/1
SkyBet
- Carlo Ancelotti: 2/1
- Thomas Tuchel: 5/1
- Diego Simeone: 6/1
- Patrick Vieira: 10/1
- Massimiliano Allegri: 12/1
- Roberto Martinez 12/1
- Brendan Rodgers: 14/1
- Eddie Howe: 14/1
