Arsene Wenger is one of the most innovative managers in the history of English soccer. The Professor spent 22 years at the helm of Arsenal and left a legacy that will last for generations. It was a strange day when he retired at the end of last season.
It feels almost unnatural to watch the English Premier League and European soccer, in general, without Arsene Wenger. There were doubts if the man would ever work again, as he just turned 69 years of age. And yet, many were convinced that the Frenchman has at least another job in him.
It seems that he feels the same way. In a recent interview, Arsene Wenger declared that he is ready to make a return to the soccer world on January 1st. On top of that, he announced that are many offers on the table, so he will have plenty of choices.
I must admit that I am excited by the news because I have deep respect for the man. I feel he has a couple of years left, so I would love to see him manage at the highest level.
However, I am a bit surprised that Wenger has mentioned January as a starting point. Becoming the manager of a club of the caliber the Frenchman deserves usually happens in the summer.
With that said, I decided to take a deeper look at the possible opportunities and share my opinion on the different options where Arsene Wenger may end up.
I feel that his interview has a lot of pieces of information that might be helpful when trying to find out Wenger’s next destination. This is why I will try to break it down and analyze every important word the man himself shared.
It would be safe to say that Arsene Wenger seems open to all kind of suggestions. The Frenchman hinted that he has offers from both clubs and national teams.
He even mentioned Japan as a possible destination. We all know that this is a possibility, as the former Arsenal manager worked there before he went to England.
To be honest, this seems a bit like a “come and get me” announcement by Wenger. I’m certain that he has received a lot of offers already, but probably not exactly the ones he would’ve liked.
It feels the man is gathering proposals before making a final decision.
What bugs me the most about this interview is the date that Wenger stated. January 1st is close, so I assume the Frenchman really does feel ready to restart his career as a manager. But the question is, why in the winter?
There are very few top clubs that change their managers in the winter. They have to be struggling badly, because the leading European clubs usually switch the man at the helm at the end of spring or the start of the summer.
This way, the manager has the chance to take part in the transfer activities and also work with the squad during the preseason.
On the other hand, Wenger started his Arsenal career in January. Such an approach gives the manager half a season in which he basically has no responsibility of bringing results.
He gets the chance to know the players both on and off the pitch and carefully work on new recruitments.
Maybe this is the reason why Wenger prefers to start in the winter, but the question is what club would appoint him?
There are two other theories that actually fit the narrative here. First of all, Wenger might be willing to take over a national side. There is no World Cup or European Championship next year, so that makes a lot of sense.
He will have more than a year to prepare the team and install his ideas. If you add the fact that Wenger is 69 now, leading a country and not a club certainly makes sense.
I’m sure plenty of nations from Europe would love to get him, and his background and knowledge of a bunch of skills opens the door to pretty much any country from all over the globe.
Another option that could easily work from January on is for Wenger to actually take a position different than the one of a manager. There are some rumors that he might become a director of football.
Such a job would allow Wenger to work on the new transfers and the general strategy of a club.
He certainly has the skills to manage this kind of position, but will he agree to stay out of coaching his teams?
After years of absolute power in Arsenal, Wenger might want the same level of responsibility in his next job as well.
Now that I have shared my thoughts based on the recent Arsene Wenger interview, it’s time to move on to some specific speculations regarding the potential new job of the Frenchman.
If there is an elite European club that could be in need of a new manager in January, that’s Bayern Munich. The German giant is having one of the worst starts in the Bundesliga ever, and the new manager, Niko Kovac, is struggling badly.
You don’t see that often in Bayern, but there are calls for his head already. The pressure is so high that the board of the club had to call a press conference last Friday.
There were rumors that Wenger would be announced as the new manager, but that didn’t happen.
Instead, it was one of the few times when Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, UliHoeness, and Hasan Salihamidzic faced the media together. The three top executives at the club presented a united front to deliver some clear messages.
Their main goal was to defend the players of Bayern Munich from the constant scrutiny and show their backing for Niko Kovac.
Many believe that this means we won’t see the Croatian manager sacked, but I’m not quite sure. If the bad form of the side continues, the patience will disappear.
After all, Bayern has been so dominant in the past couple of years that the expectations are high, and the manager is under a lot of pressure.
If Niko Kovac is sacked before January 1st, Arsene Wenger makes a lot of sense.
The question is if the club is ready to employ a man at his age.
The desire to keep former manager Jupp Heynckes for longer suggests that’s not an issue, but the appointment of the young and ambitious Kovac might be a sign that Bayern is looking for a younger specialist that will be given time.
My gut feeling is that NikoKovac will find a way to turn the season around, and he won’t be fired before the end of the campaign. If that’s not the case, though, Arsene Wenger might actually end up in Germany.
Considering the meteoric rise of Chinese soccer and the massive investments in the local league, as well as Wenger’s Japan connections, it won’t be a huge surprise to see the Frenchman manage a club from the Far East.
The man himself mentioned this opportunity, and it certainly looks like a possibility. Wenger is a man known for his desire to explore new territory, experiment, and take paths many others would probably avoid.
This also fits the timing, as the potential Asian teams won’t have an issue appointing the Professor immediately.
The big question, at least for me, is the motivation of Wenger. If he wants to win a couple of big trophies and attack his life-long dream of winning the UEFA Champions League, Asia is not an option.
And yet, the Frenchman might simply want to enjoy soccer once again. If that’s the case, he will be under less pressure in China or Japan.
Add to that the juicy paychecks that Wenger will be cashing, and it’s easy to see why this is a potentially attractive option for the manager.
For years, there have been rumors that Arsene Wenger would eventually take over the French national side once he left Arsenal.
Considering the strong reputation of the manager in his country and his experience, this did make sense at the time.
If you also consider the age of Wenger, the less intensive job of working with a nation instead of a club is certainly preferable in some aspects. The problem is that Didier Deschamps led France to a world title and has a contract with the federation until 2020.
The current coach has expressed his desire to honor the agreement, and his position is cemented for the time being. I really doubt that anyone will actually try to sack Deschamps.
This is why I simply can’t see a way for Wenger to become the France manager. Even if he does desire the position, it’s currently unavailable.
Another club that has been linked with Arsene Wenger multiple times in the past is PSG. The French champion has so much firepower that it has made the local league somewhat pointless, at least when it comes to the title.
And yet, PSG has been unable to truly challenge for the UEFA Champions League. The German manager Thomas Tuchel was appointed with the goal to lead the team to glory in the most prestigious club tournament in Europe.
He is doing a fine job so far, so I don’t think there is any possibility of seeing Tuchel sacked by January 1st, so the option for Wenger to become a manager of PSG is highly unlikely.
The club might tempt the Professor with another position, though. There are rumors that he might be offered the chance to become the director of football. It’s an interesting opportunity to become part of a powerful club with a lot of ambition.
My gut feeling tells me that Wenger will pass on such an opportunity, though. Arsene believes that he still has the energy to work as a manager. Considering how stubborn he can be, I don’t see how anything changes his mind.
This is why I don’t expect Arsene Wenger to become a director of football or take another board position at any club out there.
I think there is a real possibility for Wenger to take over a national team. His first choice would be a top European country, but there aren’t any open positions right now.
Deschamps is the man for France, Southgate is leading England to a remarkable rise, Luis Enrique was just appointed to lead Spain, and the same applies to Koeman and the Netherlands.
The only viable possibility left is Germany. The country is struggling to recover from the World Cup disaster, but the German FA stands firmly behind Joachim Low for now. This is why I don’t see Wenger working in Europe.
However, his ties to Japan and the local culture make it a viable choice. If there are no better challenges, Wenger might be inclined to give it a shot.
I will probably raise a few eyebrows here, but Manchester United actually looks like a club that might need Arsene Wenger. The team is struggling, and Jose Mourinho might get the sack before Christmas.
An experienced replacement like the Professor might help steady the ship and prepare the side for the future.
However, I don’t there’s any realistic chance of Arsene finishing in an English club. His love story with the Arsenal is too strong and will prevent the Frenchman from even considering a job in the English Premier League.
It is extremely tough to predict where Arsene Wenger might end up right now. Before I move on to my prediction, I will have to say that it is based on the Frenchman’s own desire to start working in January.
With that in mind, I can see a couple of options. If Bayern Munich fires Niko Kovac, Arsene Wenger will become the new manager, at least in my opinion.
If that’s not the case, I expect to see him manage either the national side of Japan or a club from the same country or China.
I know that’s not exactly the most precise prediction out there, but it’s complicated.
Certain bookmakers offer the prices of 6.00 for Wenger to join Bayern, 8.00 for him to join any Chinese club, and 19.00 for the Japanese national side.
If you insist on placing a bet, some combo between those three would make the most sense. I can’t say that I actually recommending risking any money on this market right now, though.
I will be following the Arsene Wenger situation closely, as I love the man, and I feel that he still has something to give to the world of soccer. I hope that he is given the chance to end his career on a high, no matter by which team or country.
What do you expect to happen with the Frenchman? Do you think that he’s still got it, or do you expect Arsene to fail?
I would love to read your opinion in the comments below.
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