Arnold looks to be major contender for NZ role
Graham Arnold has emerged as a contender for the vacant All Whites coaching role.
The Herald understands New Zealand Football representatives will meet Arnold this month to discuss the job.
Coach Anthony Hudson resigned in November, after the 2-0 aggregate loss to Peru, to take a head coaching position with the Colorado Rapids in the MLS.
NZF has appointed a global sports recruitment agency to assess leading candidates. They have canvassed options from across the globe, and it’s believed Arnold, 54, is on the shortlist.
The Sydney FC coach, recognised as the best coach in Australia, has an impressive record. He took the Central Coast Mariners to two A League grand finals, winning the championship in the 2012-13 season. Since an unsuccessful stint in Japan, Arnold has fashioned Sydney into one of the best teams in the league’s history.
They strolled to the Premiership last season — and won the grand final — and are on course again, with a huge lead at the top of the table.
The former Socceroos striker has strong links with several All Whites, including Michael McGlinchey and Storm Roux, whom he brought through the Mariners ranks. He also has a strong development track record.
Arnold also has international experience. He coached the Socceroos in 2006-2007 and served as an assistant under Pim Verbeek for the 2010 World Cup campaign.
However, there are complicating factors. Arnold has been strongly linked with the Socceroos job also, since Ange Postelcoglou stepped aside in November. Football Federation Australia are said to be focused on overseas names, but if Arnold enters the picture, obviously the Australian job would be his preference.
The second factor is money. Arnold is one of the highest-paid coaches in the A League, and matching that kind of level may be beyond NZF. Hudson commanded the highest salary in All Whites coaching history, but NZF would have to go beyond that to secure Arnold.
Thirdly, the All Whites are expected to have a thin schedule in the next two years, and it is hard to see how that would fit with a coach of Arnold’s ambition and pedigree, though the lure of qualification for the 2022 World Cup would be strong one.
However, if NZF were open to the role being part time — at least for the next two years — it is possible that Arnold could juggle club and country commitments.