Veteran BBC reporter and one of the most trusted sources for Arsenal news, David Ornstein has dropped a huge update on Arsenal’s search for a new manager.
His tweet states the North London club are “not close to appointing a new manager”, yet he mentions that “Arteta among names being considered”.
Arsenal not close to appointing new manager. No agreement yet on chosen candidate, negotiations at relatively early stage, thorough process ongoing, next week looks unrealistic. Once decided, IG/RS/SM will present recommendation to #AFC board. Arteta among names being considered
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) May 12, 2018
This is a complete contrast to what Arsenal shareholder, Darren has stated in his tweet that Arsenal have “a verbal agreement with the new forthcoming manager”. These conflicting statements only add to the suspense in these uncertain times.
The Arsenal shareholder did, however, confirm that Arsenal have “had discussions with Allegri and Arteta” who are becoming the two most likely candidates for the job.
Considering his wealth of experience in the Premier League and his technical understanding of what it means to be a player and recently a coach in English football, Mikel Arteta is surely a strong candidate for the job although he is still relatively unproven.
As well as being highly commended for his work as a coach at Manchester City, he was made Arsenal’s captain in the 2014/15 season and finished his 5-year spell at Arsenal in 2016. At the age of 36, he is still very young for a manager and would become the youngest manager in the Premier League. This begs the question: Is he ready for the job?
Massimiliano Allegri is a different candidate altogether, with a large amount of experience managing large clubs, most notably AC Milan and currently Juventus. With Juventus, he has won the Serie A title three times and the Copa Italia four times. His fast-paced style of play would surely fit the Gunners.
It must, however, be noted that many people doubt as to whether Allegri would be interested in taking over at Arsenal given the drop to Europa league. With Juventus he has been the runner-up in the Champions League twice now. This drop in status means he may require some convincing to join the North London club.
With conflicting reports coming in it is hard to tell who will end up at Arsenal but whoever it is, we know it will be extremely tough to follow on from Arsene Wenger.
