Arsenal are doing a "thorough search" for their next manager and are confident Freddie Ljungberg can handle the demands of being interim coach until an appointment is made, club director Josh Kroenke has said.
Arsenal sacked Unai Emery on Friday, with the club on their worst run of form since 1992, which included just four wins in 13 Premier League games. The decision was made to end the Spaniard's time in charge following the 2-1 home defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League.
Ljungberg, who spent nine successful years as a player for Arsenal, has been entrusted with first team responsibilities, including taking the reins for Sunday's league trip to Norwich City as the club sound out Emery's permanent successor.
A number of potential candidates have been linked with the vacancy, among them Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo, former Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri, and former club captain Mikel Arteta, who is currently assistant to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
In an interview with the Arsenal website, Kroenke insisted that the club will be doing their due diligence over their next appointment and will not be rushing into any decisions.
"Our process is already underway," Kroenke said. "It's going to be led by [Head of Football] Raul [Sanllehi], [Managing Director] Vinai [Venkatesham], [Technical Director] Edu and [chief contract negotiator] Huss Fahmy here internally. I look forward to getting with them and working closely with them throughout this process.
"Because of our confidence in Freddie we're very fortunate that we're going to be entering into our process and doing a thorough search and it's about finding the right candidate, it's not about finding the first candidate."
Emery had been in charge for 18 months following his appointment in the summer of 2018 when he took over from Arsene Wenger, who spent 22 years at Arsenal.
After an encouraging start under Emery, which included 11 wins in a row and an unbeaten run that stretched 22 games, Arsenal tailed off last season, missing out on a top-four place despite being in pole position, while they were thoroughly beaten in the Europa League final by rivals Chelsea.
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Seven contenders to be next Arsenal manager
Nuno Espirito Santo. The Wolves manager refused to take questions on Wednesday relating to a potential move to Arsenal, insisting it would be “disrespectful” to discuss another coach’s job. With the role now vacant, will the Portuguese now be more open to share his thoughts? Unlikely, but that has not stopped him being installed as a leading contender to take charge at the Emirates Stadium. Nuno has had spells at Rio Ave, Valencia, and Porto, but it is his two-and-a-half years in charge at Wolves that will most catch the eye of the Arsenal board: after dominating the second-tier Championship in his debut season, Wolves finished seventh in their first season back in the Premier League. The club are currently fifth in this season’s standings. PA
Mikel Arteta. It would be a massive first job for someone whose only managerial experience has been gained as Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City. But it would be a hugely popular appointment given Arteta spent five seasons as an Arsenal player, three of them as captain. Indeed, big clubs have not been afraid to appoint former players with limited managerial experience in recent years, including Arteta’s current boss when he was at Barcelona. Considering the massive task facing the new Arsenal manager, Arteta will probably be viewed as a bit too raw by the board. But if they are looking for a feel-good factor (something seriously lacking at the club in recent months), Arteta will be a contender. Reuters
Freddie Ljungberg. Like Arteta, Ljungberg will be given plenty of backing by the Arsenal fans should he be given the job, courtesy of his nine stellar years as a player until 2007. The former winger will have the immediate chance to impress when he takes temporary charge of the first team this weekend, while the fact he has been working within the Arsenal setup could work in his favour. However, also like Arteta, Ljungberg’s lack of experience could count against him given the many challenges Arsenal face in the short term. AP Photo
Carlo Ancelotti. One of the most decorated managers in modern football, Ancelotti has won league titles across Europe with AC Milan, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, and Bayern Munich, and European Cups with Milan and Real Madrid. However, the Italian finds himself under pressure in his current role at Napoli, with the club stuttering in Serie A this season. Ancelotti has a wealth of experience and would bring a much-needed steadying hand to Arsenal, but any move could depend on his status as Napoli manager. Reuters
Massimiliano Allegri. Allegri has been unemployed since leaving Juventus in the summer following a fifth successive Serie A title. Could Arsenal be Allegri’s route back into management? The Italian has previously insisted he is enjoying his break from football, so one option would be for Arsenal to stick with an interim manager until the end of the season and appoint Allegri ahead of next season. Given Arsenal’s immediate need for stability, it seems an unlikely prospect, so any move for Allegri would likely be based on his willingness to end his sabbatical. Getty Images
Brendan Rodgers. A manager with plenty of experience and success in the Premier League and one who favours the sort of attacking football demanded at Arsenal, but would Leicester City let their manager leave when they look to be on track for a top-four finish and a return to the Champions League? Rodgers could well be tempted were it not mid-season, but the Northern Irishman is not likely to leave during the campaign. Getty Images
Mauricio Pochettino. This would be an interesting appointment just to see how Arsenal fans react. On one hand, hiring Tottenham’s most recent manager should be seen as unthinkable, yet at the same time, Pochettino has proved himself to be an elite-level coach capable of getting the best out of players while setting his teams out to play intense and forward-pressing football. From Pochettino’s side, would he even entertain the idea? Probably not, but it would cause a great stir if he were to be appointed. EPA
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Kroenke explained that the decision to part ways with Emery was not an easy one to make, but ultimately disappointing results in recent months forced the club into acting.
"[It was] very difficult [to sack Emery]. Like all of our fans and supporters around the globe, we've been concerned about our recent string of performances," he said. "We wanted to support Unai and his staff until we decided it was time to make a change and ultimately we came to that decision over the last several weeks as a group between myself, Raul, Vinai and Edu.
"First and foremost Unai is a good man, someone that we all respect very much. His work ethic on a daily basis between him and his staff was fantastic. Ultimately we started to fall short of several goals that we set. We still feel that we can achieve those goals this season, which is why we decided to make the change now."
