In the last couple of years, #WengerOut has probably reached every corner of the planet but the man himself sits pretty at the Emirates stadium, having recently shown that his side are wearing the colour of North London. Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal are currently placed 6th in the PL points table and have a decent chance of qualifying for the UCL next season, and though the loss against Koln earlier in the week will be a setback, it will not affect their position in the Europa League, making the start a decent one for the club this season.
However, if Wenger fails to win trophies this season, he may be shown the door, even though he will still have a year left on his contract with the club. So it does not come as a surprise that the club is monitoring the situations of a number of respected coaches from around the world.
There are a number of names doing the rounds as potential replacements for Wenger but one name now perplexing the Arsenal fans is Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
For those not too familiar with the name, Bronckhorst Dutch international, who made a name for himself, coming out of the Feyenoord academy. A midfielder with decent skill and smart understanding of the game, he made 107 appearances for his country and notable spent four seasons at Barcelona, making 105 La Liga appearances.
He ended his playing career back at Feyenoord in 2010 and spent just a year as the U21 coach, before turning into the assistant manager for the club in 2011. Four years later, he was given the charge of the senior side, where he helped them to the KNVB Cup, a domestic trophy in Netherlands, in his first year at the club.
In his second season at the club, the 2015-16 one, he helped Feyenoord to a historic league title, the first one in the club’s history in 18-years and has established them as a top club, not just in his country, but also in Europe.
He has an astonishing 60.75% win percentage, the best in the club’s recent history and has a squad, that has every chance of retaining their domestic title.
At 42, with just a couple of years of managerial experience, Bronckhorst may not be an ideal candidate to take over Arsene Wenger, but he is sure is an interesting choice.
He was a part of the Arsenal squad from 2001 to 2003 and has a decent affinity with the club and the style of play he has implemented at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium fits well with the squad at the Emirates.
Controlled possession and aggressive play are his traits, evident in his club’s performances this season and if Arsenal have decided to stick with Wenger till 2019 when his contract expires, they may be looking at a manager, wanted by the best clubs in Europe.
It is a tricky decision for the Gunners but in a year or two from now, Bronckhorst could just be the right man to help the English club back to their best.
