David Ornstein has given his latest update on Arsenal’s long-term managerial situation, including candidates, the selection process, desired qualities in the next coach and more.
Writing in The Athletic on Monday, David Ornstein explained the long-term manager situation at Arsenal.
For now, the club reportedly have ‘total faith’ in Freddie Ljungberg as the interim head coach. They’re still aiming to find a long-term replacement swiftly, just not at the expense of finding the best solution.
Raul Sanllehi, Vinai Venkatesham, Edu and Huss Fahmy are all working through a shortlist to find that replacement. Mikel Arteta is believed to be the favourite, with Mauricio Pochettino, Patrick Vieira, Carlo Ancelotti and Roberto Martinez also mentioned.
Once they’ve whittled the list down to two or three names, the quartet will take their recommendations to the Kroenkes before making a final decision.
The team are reportedly looking for a candidate with top coaching skills, strong knowledge of the Premier League, good English speaking ability and solid general communication skills.
I’m sure people will have their own opinions, but that all sounds pretty positive to me. Some fans are desperate to see a top coach joining as soon as possible, to avoid this season becoming a write-off. Realistically though, Arsenal have to think long-term now.
If they rush the coaching appointment and still miss out on Champions League football, we may end up having to write off more than just this season. We could be in this same situation next year having to make another mid-season change.
Arsenal need to take their time and make the right choice. Whatever you think of Ljungberg’s first two games, there aren’t many coaches out there who would have found it easy to slot right in and immediately solve the problems Unai Emery’s spell caused.
It’s going to be a slow grind to rebuild confidence and figure out a settled starting lineup. That’s going to be true whichever coach is in charge. There’s no point looking for short-term fixes right now.