?Sooner or later, Arsenal will have to embrace the thought of a future without Arsene Wenger as the veteran Frenchman nears the end of an illustrious coaching career that has seen him win trophies in three different countries.
Finding the right replacement when the time comes will be crucial to ensure the Gunners remain competitive at the highest level, and 22,383 Arsenal fans have made their voice heard in a 90min poll as to who they think it should be.
Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone swept the vote with 49% choosing the Argentine as their preferred heir to Wenger’s Emirates throne.
Simeone famously broke the Real Madrid-Barcelona duopoly in La Liga in 2013/14 and has guided Atletico to two of the last three Champions League finals. He also won the Europa League back in 2012 within a few months of taking charge.
What’s more, the 46-year-old recently took the odd step of actually reducing his Atletico contract to 2018. That kind of time-frame could fit with Arsenal perfectly as he would be available when Wenger’s current deal is due to expire at the end of next season.
It would certainly be a culture shock for fans used to Wenger, though. Simeone has used much harsher tactics during his coaching career, but if it brings success few Arsenal supporters would be complaining.
Germany’s World Cup winning coach Joachim Low was the next most popular choice for fans, receiving 22% of the vote. Low has enjoyed an excellent record at international level since taking over from Jurgen Klinsmann in 2006, although his club experience is limited.
Eddie Howe is tipped by many to be a future England manager and 13% of the Arsenal fans who voted would like to see the Bournemouth boss, still very young at just 39 years of age, take over. The logic there is perhaps that his age would allow him to build a Wenger-like dynasty.
Current assistant to Wenger and former centre-back, Steve Bould, was backed by 9% of voters. Ralph Hasenhuttl, who is currently leading RB Leipzig’s title chasing fairytale in the Bundesliga was a choice for 4%, while Ronald Koeman commanded just 3% of the vote.
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