SHAKE ALLEG
Juve boss warns Guns over Wenger dithering
MASSIMILIANO ALLEGRI has given Arsenal three weeks to decide if they want him to replace Arsene Wenger.
The Juventus boss is top of the Gunners’ managerial hit list and is well aware of their interest. And the Italian has given the club until the end of the month to tell him whether or not Wenger is leaving in the summer. Juve want to tie the 49-year-old to a new deal – his current contract
expires at the end of next season – and the Italian giants are putting pressure on him to sign.
Wenger’s refusal to say whether he is staying is clouding the issue of who will replace him if he does decide to walk away.
Allegri is the outstanding candidate, with the Gunners enticed by his stunning record in Serie A, where he is closing in on a third successive league title.
Arsenal’s power brokers have also been forced to look on with envy as Allegri’s predecessor at Juve, Antonio Conte, takes the Premier League by storm in his first season at Chelsea.
The uncertainty about Wenger is making it tough for the Gunners to negotiate with Allegri, who has made it clear he is not prepared to be kept waiting much longer, especially with other inviting options available.
Allegri has been linked with Barcelona, whose boss Luis Enrique is quitting this summer.
Wenger is also believed to be interested in a move to Paris St-Germain, where Unai Emery is under threat in his first season.
Wenger has claimed he will make up his mind on whether to go this month or the next.
But Arsenal chairman Sir Chips Keswick has warned that Wenger would not be making the decision on future alone, insisting it would be “mutual” and in the “best long-term interests” of the club.
Fans are turning on the 67-yearold, with protests before and after Tuesday’s humiliation at the hands of Bayern Munich. Another protest is scheduled ahead of today’s game against Lincoln.