If Wenger leaves next summer...

Which is a possibility since his contract runs out, who do you think should replace him?

Laudrup.

Laundrup is probably the best choice.

But its hard for me to see this being Wengers last year.

Not as surprising as SAF retiring imo.

I don't think Wenjer will retire. I think Monaco are waiting to pounce once his contract runs out.

I hope Wenger does leave to be honest. I don't think people understand how much Wenger does for the club both internally and externally.

Yes he should of made transfers, but the board should hire someone to help with signings. Arsene can't do it all, especially at his age.

something-red wrote:I hope Wenger does leave to be honest. I don't think people understand how much Wenger does for the club both internally and externally.

Yes he should of made transfers, but the board should hire someone to help with signings. Arsene can't do it all, especially at his age.

Getting a GM would be a perfect solution.. But the problem is that Wenger's biggest flaw is his stubbornness. He will not accept that kind of scenario where someone is making all the off field decisions for him and handing him a line up sheet.

Even if he did he probably would play favorites or not share the same ideas on who should be starting or who should be playing or what their roles with the team should be. He wouldn't care how much the team spent on a certain player if he doesn't want to play him he won't play him.

For better of for worse as long as he is the manager he is going to make making all the shots and it is because he wants it that way. I just hope for the sake of his image and his health if he doesn't get more favorable results he will leave in the near future. Or even if he does win something soon, he leaves on a high note and both parties can move onto a new chapter.

McAgger wrote:I don't think Wenjer will retire. I think Monaco PSG are waiting to pounce once his contract runs out.

Fixed

I read this last night on the 'Arsenal' part of the site and i think it sums up the current situation perfectly.



'Getting rid of Wenger now would represent a huge upheaval and it'd only cause problems in the short-term. You can't remove a guy who's been manager for nearly two decades and expect everything will just be smooth sailing afterwards. It's precisely for this reason that United went for a manager who had similar attributes to Ferguson, even if he's no where near as good (not like there's any shame in being second best to the best manager of all time).

A more realistic question would be whether we should offer him a contract extension or not. If we show signs of progressing this year then we could offer him an extension. In that scenario, I'd also look at bringing in someone to help him in the transfer market because alone he's proving to not be very effective for whatever reason. If we struggle to get into the top four again then you've got to ask whether he's doing the club more harm than good since it'd be a situation that he could have avoided.

If that situation came to pass, people will ask "who can we get who's better?", but think about this: Arsene Wenger himself wasn't considered a top manager when he arrived at Arsenal. Pep Guardiola wasn't considered a top manager when he arrived at Barcelona. Jurgen Klopp wasn't considered a top manager when he arrived at Dortmund. But the three of them had qualities that their clubs wanted and thought they could build success on.

It's not all about who's a better manager than Wenger, but rather who's the best suited to replace him. Jose Mourinho could be considered the better manager but his short-term planning and pragmatic teams aren't suited to Arsenal. Their philosophies don't match at all.

Ultimately, I don't feel that "there's no one who's better" is a viable excuse for keeping hold of a manager who is becoming increasingly stagnant. If the manager has the power and the will to move the club forward, but doesn't, then you have to question whether he's still suited to be manager, regardless of his past successes or current qualities'.

Grooverider wrote:I read this last night on the 'Arsenal' part of the site and i think it sums up the current situation perfectly.



'Getting rid of Wenger now would represent a huge upheaval and it'd only cause problems in the short-term. You can't remove a guy who's been manager for nearly two decades and expect everything will just be smooth sailing afterwards. It's precisely for this reason that United went for a manager who had similar attributes to Ferguson, even if he's no where near as good (not like there's any shame in being second best to the best manager of all time).

A more realistic question would be whether we should offer him a contract extension or not. If we show signs of progressing this year then we could offer him an extension. In that scenario, I'd also look at bringing in someone to help him in the transfer market because alone he's proving to not be very effective for whatever reason. If we struggle to get into the top four again then you've got to ask whether he's doing the club more harm than good since it'd be a situation that he could have avoided.

If that situation came to pass, people will ask "who can we get who's better?", but think about this: Arsene Wenger himself wasn't considered a top manager when he arrived at Arsenal. Pep Guardiola wasn't considered a top manager when he arrived at Barcelona. Jurgen Klopp wasn't considered a top manager when he arrived at Dortmund. But the three of them had qualities that their clubs wanted and thought they could build success on.

It's not all about who's a better manager than Wenger, but rather who's the best suited to replace him. Jose Mourinho could be considered the better manager but his short-term planning and pragmatic teams aren't suited to Arsenal. Their philosophies don't match at all.

Ultimately, I don't feel that "there's no one who's better" is a viable excuse for keeping hold of a manager who is becoming increasingly stagnant. If the manager has the power and the will to move the club forward, but doesn't, then you have to question whether he's still suited to be manager, regardless of his past successes or current qualities'.

Bergkamp should be appointed assistant manager as soon as possible IMO. He can take over from Wenger. Continuity.

Remi Garde?

If Laudrup has another good season, then he might be the best choice. Although Arsenal might go for someone with a bit more experience, like, why not Joachim Löw?

Good pick Art Morte on Joachim Löw... it's funny because they're so similar

I remember Arsene mentioning one guy when he was asked: Dragan Stojkovic the former Yugoslavia national team player. They're friends, have a similar philosophy, currently coaches Wenger's former club Nagoya Grampus in Japan so it's probably going to be him.

What about Pochettino?

I think it needs to be certain that Wenger actually has a big budget to spend.

If a new manager comes in and has nothing to spend, then there isn't going to be much progression.

Unless of course that's what Arsenal' strategy is, to spend less and develop players and win trophies, in which case Wenger is no longer good at that strategy.

£100+m is what is right now available for Wenger, next summer another £30m will be added from the Puma deal plus £25m from CL (if we reach group stages) and other revenue from shirt sales and other stuff.

It's safe to say that in 2014/15 and many more years Arsenal will have even more money or atleast just as much to spend as this time.

This is the work of Wenger and the other people who worked with him from the trophyless era. It's just a shame he doesn't use this in the best possible way.

I mean this was the whole point building a new stadium, increasing revenues... the project delivered, Wenger did aswell by reaching the minimum (top 4) but now it's time to take it to the next level, spending the money, creating a world class team which competes for the biggest trophies. This was the summer to do this and he has failed so far.

Well if he does have £100m, then that could have easily got him Higuain/top striker, along with Gustavo and maybe someone like Julio Cesar as a goalkeeper.

Higuain joined Napoli for £34.5m, Gustavo joined Wolfsburg for about £18m? Around 53m left. Julio Cesar would have been free/under 5m.

42m left for an AM/LW depending on where Cazorla plays and possibly any backups etc that are required.

That is too logical for Wenger... he wanted Bitey instead of Higuain, he was probably never interested im J. Cesar, Gustavo's family wanted to stay in Germany (which is not Wenger's fault in fairness).

I agree that it's quite far-fetched to imagine that Wenger would be sacked in the final year of his contract. Despite failing to land signings, Wenger can manage a team. All jokes about some of his odd squad-selection decisions, he is a good manager, and the stability of maintaining his presence through the end of the season is reason enough to keep him. There simply are no benefits to sacking him mid-season. If doesn't fix the problem and would likely cause many new issues.

If some miracle moves are not made in the next few weeks, I can certainly see Wenger not being offered a new contract. The club need something to rejuvenate them. They have stagnated the last few seasons and are in danger of slipping into the perceptions of a second-tier team (competitively speaking).

Personally, I think Wenger will go to one of the French giants (Monaco, PSG, or even Marseille as a dark horse candidate). While all of the clubs have recently signed new managers, none of the managers should feel safe.

Blanc always felt like something of a consolation prize. After being rebuffed by their first-choice candidates, PSG turned to the former France manger in what always felt like an interim appointment. Should they fail to secure the Ligue 1 title (or even if they do), I can see them clearing out Blanc's office for Wenger in the summer.

Ranieri may have led Monaco to promotion to Ligue 1 last season, but the true test will be this season in the top-flight. If he underwhelms, he could well be out the door. The impact of Monaco's rumored tax issues should not be underestimated. If they do have to sell some of their recent high-profile purchases (still not sure I believe that one), they may look for a manager known for his youth development. Who better to sign a French youngster than Arsene Wenger?