TWO MORE YEARS THEN GET READY FOR EDDIE
Howe next in line as Gunners boss
ARSENE WENGER has been charged with finding his successor, with Bournemouth’s Eddie Howe in pole position to succeed him.
Wenger’s new two-year deal at Arsenal will be confirmed today after he won his battle with chief executive Ivan Gazidis over the appointment of a director of football. Now the Gunners want him to start preparations for his exit, just as Sir Alex Ferguson set it up for David Moyes to succeed him at Manchester United four years ago. Arsenal see Wenger moving upstairs in two years’ time to take on a director of football role. But club insiders believe the 67-year-old wants to work as a boss for FIVE more years. However Howe, who led the Cherries to a top-half finish this season, has long been the man the Arsenal hierarchy see as Wenger’s natural heir apparent.
Hurry
But the Frenchman will have the final call when he does eventually decide to call it a day. Wenger is in no hurry to quit and despite some fans calling for the manager’s head, owner Stan Kroenke and the Arsenal board have backed him and even abandoned the idea of a shakeup behind the scenes. The superb display by his team in beating Chelsea 2-1 in Saturday’s FA Cup final strengthened Wenger’s hand. It is thought there could be some changes to his backroom staff, though, with fitness coach Tony Colbert and goalkeeping coach Gerry Peyton most at risk. With Wenger’s deal being confirmed – he even recorded a club interview yesterday to speak about it – the Gunners can now get to work on tying down new contracts for a number of stars, including Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil.
Sanchez has been offered £270,000 a week plus bonuses and Ozil £220,000 and addons, making them the highest-paid players in the club’s history.
Starsport also revealed yesterday how Wenger would be handed a budget of over £100m to boost his squad for next season, accepting a major revamp is needed with the north Londoners finishing the season 18 points adrift of champions Chelsea.
The board’s decision has left Gazidis red-faced after promising fans last month he was demanding “a catalyst for change” from Wenger following a mid-season slump.
Failing
Gazidis was also behind the idea of a director of footbal.
But Wenger, despite failing to take Arsenal into the Champions League for the first time in his 21-year reign, point-blank refused to work alongside one.
As well as Sanchez and Ozil, uncertainty over Wenger’s future has seen the club left with a host of players in danger of walking away for nothing next summer.
England internationals Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jack Wilshere, Kieran Gibbs and Carl Jenkinson all have just one year left on their contracts.
Petr Cech, Santi Cazorla, Wojceich Szczesny and club captain Per Mertesacker are also heading into the final 12 months.
Szczesny, who has been on loan at Roma, is expected to sign for either Napoli or Juventus this summer.
Starsport can also reveal Mertesacker, 32, is being lined up to join the club’s coaching staff when he hangs up his boots.