PEP GUARDIOLA’S intention to manage in England is not about to usher Arsene Wenger into an upstairs role at the Emirates if the spiky reaction of the Gunners’ boss is anything to go by.
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| Pep Guardiola has been linked with Arsene Wenger's job at Arsenal |
It was put to Wenger at his usual pre-match press conference that the man who built a whole dynasty of footballing greatness at Barcelona before fulfilling a three-year brief at Bayern Munich would be the perfect figure to step into the shoes of Wenger and continue Arsenal’s policy of long-termism when it comes to managerial appointments.
But Wenger, 66, was having none of it.
“I’m very pleased that you care about our club and my succession,” he said with a wry smile. “But it’s not my job to talk about that and not your job to make this decision.
“I can only make sure of one thing, that the guy who comes after me finds the club in a very strong position with very good players in a very good, strong financial situation. I hope I can convince you that I can do that.”
Guardiola’s projects have tended to run the course of three years – three times the longevity of most managers in the Premier League.
When asked if that is the sort of stability that is cherished at the Emirates, Wenger replied: “Anything is suitable. Every manager has his own way to run and model his career. There’s not only one way as long as they give their best to the club where they are.
“What I think is most important is that anybody who works for a football club gives full commitment. How long does it last? Nobody knows. I didn’t plan to stay here for 20 years.”
Certainly Wenger has enough on his plate to focus his mind on the short term, especially with the transfer window now open.
Mohamed Elneny was expected to be an early arrival from Basel, and Wenger is still confident of completing a deal which has hit a few unexpected complications.
“It is complicated a little bit but we are working hard on it and hopefully in the next two or three days we will get to the end of it,” he said.
There is less in progress on the departure of £11m full-back Mathieu Debuchy, given the green light to look for a move in a bid to revive his bid to win a place in France’s Euro 2016 squad.
“He has an opportunity to go but he as well has not been in touch with any club,” Wenger said.
However, Wenger labelled as “rubbish” reports linking Arsenal with Troy Deeney or the possibility of selling Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to Chelsea.
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