Arsenal: Five managerial replacements for Arsene Wenger

(Photo credit: Ronnie Macdonald)

The best moment of Sunday’s Carabao Cup final came high above the pitch. 

Gary Neville, watching Granit Xhaka and Mesut Ozil trundle around distractedly, reached the pitch of a boiling kettle as he lambasted the Gunners stars for a lack of effort.

“You do not walk on a football pitch, that’s the one thing you don’t do,” he parped, before ascending to a frequency that only dogs could hear.

The macabre theatre that followed was both familiar and tiresome. 

"Arsene Wenger can’t get his players motivated for a Cup Final; his signings aren’t good enough; his time, after twenty-two years, is up." Etc., etc., etc.

Until now, Wenger’s purgatorial reign has been save by Stan Kroenke’s apathy. Increasingly, however, even the Gunners management are coming to the realisation that change is necessary. 

Rumours suggest that Wenger’s future will be discussed at seasons’ end. On current evidence, only one decision is possible.   

The question, of course, is who will replace him?  RealSport has identified five possible candidates.