Leonardo Jardim is favourite to replace Arsene Wenger at Arsenal
The Monaco manager sees the Arsenal rebuilding job as an ‘exciting opportunity’
Monaco manager Leonardo Jardim is emerging as the favourite to replace Arsene Wenger in the Emirates hot seat.
Recent speculation has focused on Carlo Ancelotti and Mikel Arteta but the Arsenal board consider the former too old and the latter too inexperienced to take on the mammoth task of rebuilding a squad whose morale is at rock bottom.
Germany manager Joachim Low is an attractive proposition but it’s believed he will want a break from football after this summer’s World Cup and wouldn’t therefore be available until 2019.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
That leaves the 43-year-old Jardim who, according to the Daily Express, “fancies a new challenge and believes the rebuilding job on offer at the Emirates Stadium is an exciting opportunity”.
The Venezuela-born Portuguese manager has been in charge of Monaco since 2014, and in that time he’s constructed a squad bulging with young talent that reached the semi-final of the Champions League (something that has so far proved beyond the capability of Ligue 1 rivals Paris Saint-Germain) and last season clinched the French title.
Since then, however, many of his top names, such as Benjamin Mendy and Kylian Mbappe, have been lured away from Monaco and the Express says that Jardim therefore wants the opportunity to coach one of Europe’s traditional powerhouses. The Emirates, with its 60,000 capacity compared to the 18,523 of Monaco’s Stade Louis II, fits the bill.
The Independent agrees, and claims that Jardim “was initially lined up to replace Wenger if he chose to step aside at the end of last season”. The 68-year-old Frenchman didn’t do the honourable thing, however, clinging to his position and once more leading Arsenal into a season of mediocrity.
The Indy says that Jardim is “hugely admired at Arsenal” because of the way he transformed Monaco (where Wenger spent seven years as a manager) from also-rans into title winners. He did so playing a fast, attractive brand of football - something that was once the hallmark of Wenger’s teams.
Monaco are aware of Arsenal’s interest in Jardim and, according to the Independent, the club’s new technical director, Michael Emenalo, formerly of Chelsea, is “working to persuade him to stay in the principality”.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The Spanish cop, 20 million euros and 13 tonnes of cocaine
In the Spotlight Óscar Sánchez Gil, Chief Inspector of Spain's Economic and Tax Crimes Unit, has been arrested for drug trafficking
By The Week UK Published
-
5 hilarious cartoons about the rise and fall of Matt Gaetz
Cartoons Artists take on age brackets, backbiting, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The future of X
Talking Point Trump's ascendancy is reviving the platform's coffers, whether or not a merger is on the cards
By The Week UK Published
-
The Premier League's spending cap: levelling the playing field?
Talking Point Top clubs oppose plans to link spending to income of lowest-earning club, but rule could prevent success gap from widening
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is a new English football regulator an own goal for the game?
Talking Point PM hails 'historic moment for football fans' but West Ham owner warns it could 'ruin' Premier League
By The Week UK Published
-
English football and the etiquette of leaving the stadium early
Talking Point The belief that 'true fans stay to the end' does not always apply
By The Week UK Published
-
2023-2024 Premier League predictions: champions, relegation and golden boot
feature A look at the top flight talking points and pundit picks for the new season
By Mike Starling Published
-
Man City: can ‘one of the best sides in history’ win the treble?
feature Guardiola’s Premier League champions have two more trophies in their sights
By The Week Staff Published
-
Premier League: Man City vs. Arsenal predictions
feature What the pundits say about tonight’s title race showdown at the Etihad
By Mike Starling Last updated
-
Antonio Conte leaves Tottenham after ‘extraordinary’ rant at players
feature After another year without a trophy, Spurs are now searching for a new manager
By The Week Staff Published
-
Liverpool 7 Man Utd 0: ‘welcome to Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool 2.0’
feature Anfield’s ‘new front three’ were on fire in the humbling of their bitter rivals
By Mike Starling Published