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5 Managers Arsenal should target to replace Arsene Wenger

By Stephen Fox

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 07: Head coach Arsene Wenger of Arsenal reacts during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second leg match between Arsenal FC and FC Bayern Muenchen at Emirates Stadium on March 7, 2017 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Boris Streubel/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 07: Head coach Arsene Wenger of Arsenal reacts during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second leg match between Arsenal FC and FC Bayern Muenchen at Emirates Stadium on March 7, 2017 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Boris Streubel/Getty Images) /
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MADRID, SPAIN – MARCH 05: Diego Simeone coach of Atletico de Madrid looks on prior the La Liga match between Atletico de Madrid and Valencia CF at Vicente Calderón Stadium on March 05, 2017 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Patricio Realpe/LatinContent/Getty Images)
MADRID, SPAIN – MARCH 05: Diego Simeone coach of Atletico de Madrid looks on prior the La Liga match between Atletico de Madrid and Valencia CF at Vicente Calderón Stadium on March 05, 2017 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Patricio Realpe/LatinContent/Getty Images) /

Diego Simeone

The most interesting choice out of the five, Simeone is one of the best managers in the world and would be a welcome addition to any team in the world. What he has done with Atletico Madrid has been nothing short of incredible with him guiding them to two Champions League finals in three years and breaking the Barcelona/Real Madrid dynasty by winning La Liga in 2014. Simeone has transformed Atletico from a strong Europa League team into one of the best and most feared teams in the world.

Unlike Allegri, if Arsenal were to hire Simeone then they would need a major overhauling in the summer to get in the kind of players that would fit a Diego Simeone team. Simeone is a manager who is known for playing a defensive 4-4-2 formation that soaks up pressure and hits teams relentlessly on the counter while also expecting his teams to work hard and close down players. This is not something that the majority of the Arsenal team seem to be capable of doing and Simeone will not accept the general mistakes or collapses that Arsenal players are known for making.

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It stands to reason that if Simeone was to become the next Arsenal manager, he will not immediately lead them to titles in his first season. It will take a major rebuilding job to get the team up to a certain standard for Simeone to flourish but that shouldn’t cause Arsenal not to pursue him. His style is perfect for combating the top clubs in Europe, with his Atletico side knocking out Barcelona and Bayern Munich last season and only being one minute away from capturing the Champions League in 2014 despite not having star player Diego Costa fit for the match.

Simeone’s style couldn’t be any further from Arsene Wenger’s style that Arsenal fans have become so adjusted to over the last 21 years but that isn’t a bad thing. Simeone would make Arsenal a very tough team to break down and defeat and as seen with Conte’s Chelsea in the Premiership this season,that may actually work in their benefit given the open nature of the Premiership.

If Arsenal do want to hire Simeone though, they’ll need to act fast to turn his head as it seems clear that for now, if Simeone was to leave Atletico Madrid, he’d be lured into his old club from when he was a player in Inter Milan.

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