The Grass is Greener

Arsenal have lost all competitive edge, and after back to back losses vs Wolves and Aston Villa a replacement would do a lot of good. 

I've cooked up a shortlist of candidates I feel would be reasonable to go with at this time. 

I was tasked with a short criteria of the following;

 

1. The manager cannot be world class, so managers such as Allegri/Pep/Klopp are out of the discussion

2. Wouldn't need a budget to succeed

3. Could get more out of the team than the current manager.

So here we go.

1. Eddie Howe. (Free Agent)

A free agent, Howe is currently available and has an impressive CV. Is one of the brightest English coaches around. He's done all he could at Bournemouth, with three promotions and many individual accolades to his name. I can't see what more he has to do to earn a spot at a big club. There does seem to be some caution with giving him a larger role as there has been a few opportunities. But Spurs chose Mourinho, Everton chose Ancellotti and Arsenal chose Arteta. While Arteta does have an FA to justify his tenure, he inherited the 4th most expensive squad in the league. While Howe has brought a team up and sustained them at the highest level with a very different budget. 

Would Howe have the ability to qualify for Europe with Arsenal? I think he can.  

2. Manuel Pellegrini (Real Betis)

An established manager with a vast amount of European experience. Earning 96 Points in the league with Real Madrid and also guiding Malaga to its highest ever finish plus picking up a premier league title among other awards with Manchester city. Pellegrini is a decorated manager who could be considered to take our club forward. With nothing to play for in the league, the europa league is worth fighting for as it will put us in good stead going forward. 

He has had his ups and downs in management but with the level of players at Arsenal I believe he is more suited to get more out of this squad than our current manager. His management of big characters has been admirable, and while the characters in the squad are being thrown out left right and centre, a manager who brings players together instead of casting them away would be refreshing. With some players returning from loan at the end of the season it would be good to have such a steady and knowledgable manager to be here to guide them to a higher placed finish than 8th.

3. Nuno Esperito Santo (Wolverhampton Wanderers)

My favourite manager, some might say that his appointment is unlikely but I believe now more than ever would be the best time to appoint him. At least in time for next season as Wolves are struggling more than they have done since their arrival in the Premier League. Winning the Championship with two games to spare and then finishing 7th two years running after winning promotion. Santo has shown his system and way of playing is exciting and effective, getting the most out of his players on a good budget. I believe he is past his best years at Wolves and good proposition to leave while they are sitting in 14th and may not match his potential ambitions could tempt him to leave.

4. Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)

This is a less popular name but the work Gasperini has done at Atalanta has been remarkable. The 2019 serie A coach of the year has taken them from relegation candidates to European regulars while playing an attractive style of football. With 428 goals in 217 games and a 52% winning percentage, this man is the real deal. His management career has been limited to Italy which may put some fans off, but if all he has to do is improve us from where we are now, I think he has the pedigree to do so. 

5. Julian Nagelsmann (RB Leipzig)

The 33 year old prodigy has achieved a lot in his tenure as a manager and has erupted on the world stage. Nagelsmann has taken his current team RB Leipzig to such heights as the Champions league semi-final. While he may have 2 and a half years left on his deal, this may look like a difficult deal to complete, he did leave his former club 1899 Hoffenheim with 2 years left on that deal. So there is some precedent in believing that he could be made available if the desire was real. I must say this isn't my personal favourite manager to take over Arsenal, but the bar is low right now

6. Patrick Viera (Free Agent)

Now this may be a sentimental appointment as it is unclear that Viera is a better or worst manager than what we currently have. Patrick Viera has taken the route that former players should take however. Managing at youth level, and smaller leagues and has travelled to other countries and gathered a steady portfolio. His time in the US showed progression every year with higher league positions meanwhile our current manager is sliding down the table. His time at Nice was mediocre I can admit but he deserves his opportunity and can bring some improvement to Arsenal if given the amount of time and patience Mikel Arteta has had. Would he bring Arsenal to the precipice of football, maybe not, could he do better than Arteta, as our greatest ever captain I believe he deserves the opportunity to try.

7. Erik Ten Hag (Ajax)

The highly rated Ajax coach would be a great replacement for Arteta, who fits the mould and brand of football we grew to appreciate at Arsenal. This would be a great replacement, with Ten Hag entering the last year of his deal it wouldn't be the most difficult deal financially to achieve. I think that Ten Hag would do well with the fans and I trust that he would actually bring an entertaining brand of football no matter the cost. Our current manager I thought was brought in to play a similar style to Pep, but ended up somewhere else. 

8. Rafael Benitez (Free Agent)

The Saviour! Benitez has coached everywhere for anyone who would take him. I've seen him do a good job everywhere he goes, very pragmatic and not the most loved manager around, he is manager in at the moment and if the task for the season is to compete for the europa league I think Rafa would be a top candidate for a short term stint at the club. I certainly wouldn't turn the opportunity to let Benitez go for the europa league in place of letting Arteta continue like this. It is something the club should be too proud to consider. 

9. Marcelo Gallardo (River Plate)

Manager at River Plate since 2014, Gallardo is one of the most well respected coaches in the world. He has an extensive trophy cabinet, with 12 trophies in 6 years, and will surely coach in Europe sooner or later. A successor to Simeone, there is some evidence to show that managers can come from South America and do a great job in Europe. I think Arsenal would do well to pry this man away from his homeland, but if we don't the big boys in Europe will as Madrid have already come knocking before. Pep's opinion means a lot to some Arsenal fans, so they'll be glad to know that Pep has also called Gallardo one of the best coaches in the world also. After 6 years at one club a new challenge would be something he could be attracted by so I would definitely go for and recommend that the football heads look him up and make some noise about this man.

10. Roberto Martinez (Belgium National Team)

My final candidate, Martinez is a steady manager who hasn't quite blown the socks off anyone so I can see him not being a someone that fans would clamour to. I must stress that we are going through the worst season a lot of arsenal fans have ever seen and god willing will ever see. Martinez has showed grit at the bottom of the table with many great escapes and a miraculous FA cup to match Arteta's. He's also led Belgium to their best ever finish at the world cup. His career is quite underrated, the originator of the "swanselona" style that served the welsh club so well for so long and his time at Everton had some highs and lows. Would he leave his post at Belgium for Arsenal, maybe after the Euro's but I'd give him a call to find out.

This concludes my list of 10 managers better than Arteta that could be realistic targets to replace him IMMEDIATELY. Arsenal not being in the top half of the table is inexcusable and any manager that struggles to achieve at least a top 6 finish should be shown the door without any questions. 

There are a lot more managers I would consider for this job, Liverpool went through a phase with Hodgson, Spurs had Sherwood, these things happen. It doesn't have to be a permanent shift down to mediocrity and Arsenal FC should push themselves for the best they can do as opposed to the most comfortable risk free option. 

With the money potentially saved in wages there may be options to spend that money on an established management and coaching staff instead of big money signings or higher wages for incoming players. 

This season isn't lost and I'm not asking for a miracle. Just to be better than Aston Villa or West Ham. 

I challenge you to add Arteta to this list and then rank them yourself. If Arteta isn't number 1 then we agree that there are better managers out there. If there is one manager on that list you think may make a difference and is reachable, then I deduce Arsenal are selling themselves short by sticking with the current regime.

If we get knocked out of the Europa League early to Benfica, I predict there will be a lot of finger pointing but it will be too late and we face the prospect of no European football at all next season. Coming back from that will be a rough task and our fans deserve so much better than what we're getting now. Arsenal are a big club and it's time we started acting like it on and off the pitch.

*honourable mentions -  Mertesacker, Henry, Toure, Bergkamp, Potter, Hassenhutl, Ancelotti, Roger Schmidt, Marco Rose.