5 potential destinations for Arsene Wenger
Arsene Wenger may not be back yet, but it is only a matter of time before the former Arsenal manager returns to football.
Not even six months after departing the Gunners, he says his batteries are recharged and that he is ready for a fresh challenge.
Understandably, there have been a plethora of offers for a manager with vast experience, who built a historic Arsenal side that won the Premier League title of 2003-04 as invincibles.
He is a coach whose influence in the game will resonate for years to come – and forever with the Gunners, with whom he will be indelibly associated.
But now it is time to begin a new chapter of a career that has seen him flit from Nancy to Monaco to Japan and then to London.
His answer when asked where he could end up when speaking to Sport Bild was “I don’t know”, but here are five potential locations where he could land.
Paris Saint-Germain
Just because Wenger is coming back to football doesn’t mean that it will be as a coach with a hands-on role every day. Since his departure from Arsenal was concluded before the summer break, there have been rumours rolling around the French capital that he could join the Parc des Princes side as a director of football.
PSG have had problems in that area of late. Antero Henrique currently occupies that function in the French capital but oversaw a shambolic summer transfer campaign that saw the club fail to address key areas of concern, leaving them shorthanded for their European campaign. There is certainly scope for Wenger to fulfil such a role, particularly as head coach Thomas Tuchel is such an avid fan of his.
If a return to the big stage is a pro, there are cons to this particular task. Firstly, it may not have the level of involvement that Wenger craves. At Arsenal, he was the boss, in charge of everything from the top to the bottom of the club. Enjoying such freedom in Paris would be difficult.
Furthermore, Wenger is a manager with strong values, which do not necessarily correspond to those of the Parisian side. He is a traditionalist, who values long-term projects and history. He will appreciate that there is far more substance to PSG than the club is often given credit for, but equally their approach of throwing money at problems is unlikely to be one that rests easy with him.
However, he has a close relationship with president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, which stemmed from his involvement as an analyst at BeIn Sports in Qatar and could have a bearing in his decision.