Dyche has a farewell gift... (but it’s not 3 points!)

FOR once Burnley boss Sean Dyche finds himself classed in the same managerial bracket as Chelsea’s Antonio Conte and Atletico Madrid’s Diego Simeone.

The unlikely trio were all last night rated 40-1 outsiders to take over from Arsene Wenger at Arsenal in the summer.

While there was surprise from Dyche that Conte and Simeone (below) didn’t appear to be in the running as far as the bookies are concerned there was no flicker of emotion over his own credentials being overlooked – after all he’s English.

“Don’t bother putting your money on me,” he said. “Will it go to a Brit? I doubt it.

“I could imagine Brendan Rodgers [doing the job]. He’s managed in the top flight here, the top flight in Scotland together with Champions League experience.

“I think he knows what he’s doing and he got close to winning the Premier League with Liverpool. But I don’t think it will be a British manager.

“Also to be fair if you’re talking Carlo Ancelotti then he’s done a lot and Luis Enrique has been successful managing Barcelona. I’m still earning my spurs. I think I know what I’m doing but it’s not a walk in the park taking on a club like Arsenal.”

But Dyche arrives at the Emirates with Europa League-bound Burnley in seventh place just three points behind the Gunners – and as the highestplaced English manager.

And to his knowledge Wenger (right), with whom he has enjoyed many illuminating chats, hasn’t had a pub named after him. A boozer close to Turf Moor has been changed from The Princess Royal to The Royal Dyche with the promise of free drinks for the man who has led the club into Europe. Safe to say the expensive bottle of wine which will be handed over to Wenger to help celebrate his last home game won’t have come from that hostelry.

“We want to take him something nice. I can assure you it won’t be a bottle of Liebfraumilch!” Dyche declared. But that, he insists, will be the only gift coming Arsenal’s way on what is bound to be an emotional afternoon. “We have made the players aware that there will be a lot going on and rightly so,” Dyche said.

“But when the whistle blows we want to perform, go about our business in the right way. We’ve

massive respect for Arsene Wenger and Arsenal but when the whistle blows that goes out of the window.”

Dyche is sad to see Wenger go having nurtured a respectful relationship. He said: “I’m always interested in asking him questions about Arsenal and how his club moves forward.

“And he’s quite intrigued by our stories as well. He was asking me about our story, and how it worked in terms of the finances, and how we managed to keep moving forward. He’s been quite impressed by that side of things because he’s keen on the business of Arsenal.

“We just chat around that and the challenges of modern football. I’ve found him to be a really good fella, very open and I’ve enjoyed his company after games.

“I personally would like to see more of that in the game because I think some of the older managers have got a lot to

offer to younger bosses.”