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Arsenal lining-up surprise name to replace Arsene Wenger

By on July 28, 2016

According to the Daily Star, Arsenal chiefs are lining-up Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe as a potential successor to Arsene Wenger once the Frenchman finally decides to call it a day.

Wenger has already served 20 years at the club and is fully expected to see-out the  final year of his current contract, so any change in management isn’t going to take place until next summer – at the earliest.

Despite the growing number of fans calling for him to leave, there have been rumours circulating that Arsene could yet sign a new two-year extension tying him to the club until 2019 if we enjoy a positive start to the new season.

However, it looks like the Arsenal board are finally preparing for life without Wenger as the Daily Star are reporting that we’ve lined-up Eddie Howe as a potential replacement for the long-serving Frenchman.

Howe is considered as one of the brightest young managers in the game and did a fantastic job keeping Bournemouth in the Premier League last season after getting them promoted from the Championship.

There was even talk that the 38-year-old was a candidate for the England job before it was given to Sam Allardyce and Howe has caught the eye of Arsenal chiefs due to his desire to play attractive football.

The Daily Star claim that Arsenal won’t let Wenger pick his successor but they will take his opinion on board and the 66-year-old is a known fan of Howe’s so he could give the Bournemouth man his backing.

It’s certainly going to be an interesting season as a positive start could theoretically see Wenger offered a new deal, but if we struggle during the opening stages then I can see the fans really turning on the boss and the atmosphere could get toxic.

Either way, Wenger is almost certainly going to see-out the final year of his deal but like many fans, I think this should be his last year and a change of management is needed in 12 months time.

On the face of it, Howe looks like a solid candidate. He’s young, has fresh ideas and plays good football, however, I would have serious concerns over his lack of experience at a big club.

Whoever replaces Wenger will have an extremely difficult job to do. Look how tough it was for Moyes coming in after Fergie. Does Howe have the experience to deal with that type of situation?

Moyes didn’t and he had managed Everton for over 10 years before going to United. A couple of season at Bournemouth doesn’t prepare you for managing a club like Arsenal. Plus, Howe has no experience in dealing with top class players and could he attract big names like Mourinho has at Old Trafford?

I personally think we need an established name to replace Wenger. Someone who will excite the fans and command the immediate respect of the players. Diego Simeone is the stand-out candidate but his style of football may not be to everyone’s liking.

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