When I saw a headline on the S*n’s website about Fernandinho begging Mikel Arteta to stay at the club this summer, my interest was piqued.

4Manuel Pellegrini

Manuel Pellegrini

Gazidis reportedly met with Pellegrini last campaign. This fits with other reports from earlier this season, when the Chilean media claimed Arsenal negotiated with the manager before his eventual move to Chinese Super League side Hebei China Fortune. He’s still managing in China today.

Manuel Pellegrini recently spent three seasons with Manchester City, winning the Premier League and two League Cups before he was replaced by Pep Guardiola.

He certainly has experience in England, though he wasn’t always the most popular with fans.

Back in 2016, he addressed a near empty stadium after his final appearance at the Etihad. He refused to blame supporters for that afterwards, but clearly they’d grown apathetic by that point.

I’m not sure he’s therefore the man to inspire and reunite the Arsenal fanbase. Then again, I personally wouldn’t have predicted a man managing Nagoya Grampus Eight to achieve the success Wenger did here.