They say life is about timing and timing could yet be a factor in who eventually occupies the soon to be vacant managers job at the Emirates. As I stated some months ago, Arsenal were keeping a close eye on Antonio Conte’s situation at Chelsea and it seems the club are now seriously considering a move for Conte, as per sources close to the North London club.
Tensions at Stamford Bridge are still high between Conte and owner Roman Abramovich and even if Chelsea defeat Manchester United in the FA cup final, it may not be enough to secure the role next term.
Conte is ideal, young, technically astute and a believer in fast flowing, attacking football and he also has experience of the Premier League and knows exactly what is required to win a title. If Arsenal are looking to build on Wenger’s legacy, Conte is a candidate that fits the criteria perfectly.
He would relish the prospect of taking the role, safe in the knowledge that absent owner Stan Kroenke is far less likely to become involved in football matters and that he would have the support he craves and the finances to exact the necessary changes. It’s not exactly a giant leap of faith in anyone’s thought processes to envisage the Italian taking up the post, once the Chelsea owner has dispatched him to the job center.
There will be daily speculation on who replaces Wenger but most of the top candidates other than Conte will require a big fee in compensation which could be better employed to resolve the various frailties associated with Arsenal’s jelly defence. Claudio Ranieri was present at the West Ham game and you could almost hear the feverish journalists trying to make something out of nothing in particular.
There are a few managers which could potentially be persuaded to fill the post but for me, if it’s not Conte, then Massimiliano Allegri is the next name to consider. As speculation mounts about the differing opinions within Arsenal, as to who their next manager is, the responsibility ultimately falls to Ivan Gazidis, which is like putting the fox in charge of the henhouse.
Gazidis apparently favours Mikel Arteta which is staggering. A fine player he was, potentially a decent manager but he has no experience at Premier League level unless you count his current position as assistant coach to Pep Guardiola. That simply isn’t enough. This is not a time to experiment with a club the size of Arsenal and with all their current problems. Gazidis is showing exactly why fans have no faith in him and why he is unable to gain their trust.
You can’t seriously expect a virtual novice to come in and restore the side to its former glories, it’s more evidence of mismanagement and going cheap. Apart from the more fancied candidates such as Low, Simeone and Tuchel, there is quite a drop to the next level and Arsenal need to show courage but also intelligence with the next appointment or face a season or two of further despondency similar to Manchester United when Sir Alex Fergusson retired.
Ferguson and Wenger were undoubtedly the top managers of a golden era for both clubs and they are likely to be the last that have served their respective clubs with such drive, distinction and ambition for so many years. The incoming boss has a phenomenal job to do, Arsenal are in disarray and tragically inconsistent. It appears that Wenger has used all the available resources in their various permutations but without success, so new players will be required.
Does Arteta have the ability to solve Arsenal’s defensive issues? No, he doesn’t.
Let’s hope that the ongoing discussions will persuade the CEO that he is not best placed to make such a decision and that the genuine football professionals win the day. It would be so easy for Arsenal to drop to a lower level at this point, they need restructure and direction, an experienced hand at all levels if they are to be competitive again.
