Arsenal next manager odds

After Arsenal’s decision to part ways with Unai Emery, there are various rumours regarding the next manager of the club. As it stands, Freddie Ljungberg has been named as Arsenal’s interim manager for the time being, but there’s no doubt that Arsenal will be well underway regarding the search and recruitment of their next full-time manager as we speak, so we’ve looked at the candidates for the job and their odds. Please note that the stated odds were correct at the time this article was written and are subject to change.

As it stands, the bookies’ favourite to take over at Arsenal is former AC Milan and Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri who has been linked with the job since Arsene Wenger was in charge at Arsenal. Allegri’s credentials speak for themselves as: 6 Serie A titles, 4 Copa Italias and 3 Supercoppa Italianas make him one of the most decorated managers in the world. Considering that Allegri has been out of a job since he left Juventus at the end of the 18/19 season, Allegri may have been waiting for a particular job rather than jumping straight into management, and Arsenal could be that job.

According to the bookies, despite only being named as interim manager on Friday morning, Freddie Ljungberg is the second favourite to be named as permanent manager. We can’t personally see that being the case, but considering what happened with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United, it isn’t out of the question. Depending on the patience of the Arsenal board and the Arsenal fans, it could be worth giving Ljungberg a chance as permanent manager as he has a personal connection to the club, and as shown with Emery, bringing in a manager who was successful elsewhere doesn’t always mean they will be successful at Arsenal.

Within minutes of the announcement that Unai Emery was sacked, Gianluca Dimarzio reported that Arsenal have contacted Jorge Mendes (the agent of Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo) to tempt to bring the Portuguese manager to the Emirates. The reliable RMC Sport Chief Editor Mohamed Bouhafsi also confirmed that Santo is Arsenal’s first choice manager and that Santo is interested in taking the job.

Since taking charge of Wolves back in 2017, Santo has done a fantastic job, taking the club from the Championship to the Europa League round of 32, as well as finishing 7th in the Premier League and reaching the FA Cup semi-finals on the way. Santo has turned Wolves into a team that nobody wants to play, especially at Molineux, so it would be interesting to see what he could do at Arsenal.

Also in the running for the Arsenal job is Mikel Arteta who spent 5 years as an Arsenal player and has since joined the coaching staff at Manchester City, working alongside Pep Guardiola. Arteta was also linked with the Arsenal job during May 2018 when he was rumoured to be Arsene Wenger’s replacement. There’s no doubt that working with Pep Guardiola is another string in Arteta’s bow, Guardiola himself spoke about Arteta’s possible exit from City, saying “I’d honestly like for him to stay with us as long as possible”.

Now, this would be interesting. After also losing his job when he was sacked by Tottenham, Mauricio Pochettino is another name who is linked with the vacant Arsenal position. The argument that Pochettino isn’t good enough as he hasn’t won any trophies is somewhat understandable, but considering the vast improvement Tottenham have enjoyed since he took over, where they have consistently qualified for the Champions League and reached the final last season, he may be the man too rebuild Arsenal and get them back to competing, or at least get them back into the Champions League.