Arsenal ‘sound out Enrique’ for manager

Arsenal have identified former Barcelona manager Luis Enrique as a top target should the Premier League club sack Unai Emery, according to media reports in Spain.

Emery is under increasing pressure at the Emirates Stadium following a run which has seen Arsenal win just two of their past 10 Premier League games.

The 2-0 defeat at Leicester City on Saturday evening saw the Gunners slip to sixth in the Premier League table.

Arsenal’s struggles are a continuation from the end of last season, having lost four of their last seven games of the 2018/19 campaign. Facing an uphill task to qualify for next season’s

Champions League, Arsenal are reportedly evaluating options for their next manager, with El Confidencial claiming that the club and their head of football, Raul Sanllehi, have been in contact with Enrique to sound out his interest.

Enrique has been unemployed since leaving the Spain national team in June following the death of his daughter Xana.

A former midfielder who played for both Real Madrid and Barcelona, Enrique spent three seasons as manager of Barca between 2014 and 2017. During that time, he led the club to two La Liga titles, three Copa del Reys, and the 2015 Champions League title.

After the defeat at Leicester, Emery insisted that he can turn things around at the north London club.

“We need time and patience,” he said. “We have changed a lot of players and we have a lot of young players.

“We are going to achieve. We have had a lot of circumstances that haven’t helped but with consistency, we can do it.”

“I accept all the criticism. It is normal. I am speaking with the club to stay strong and recover.

“I know we are receiving criticism but I have done before and I have recovered. We need to recover our confidence.

“I am sure we are going to improve after that [the international break]. We need to achieve, at home, confidence and to be strong at home. We didn’t lose [many games] but we draw so much.”