Arsenal have fired Unai Emery. They have been linked heavily with three potential replacements: Mikel Arteta, Massimiliano Allegri and Nuno Espirito Santo. Here, I rank them in order of best hire.
The decision that everyone has been waiting for has finally arrived: Arsenal have fired Unai Emery. On Friday morning, an official club statement confirmed that Emery had been relieved of his duties, stating that performances and results were below the level expected of the football club. But the decision is only half-made. The Gunners must now hire the right man to succeed Emery, and there are three names leading the race: Nuno Espirito Santo of Wolves, Manchester City assistant, Mikel Arteta, and Massimiliano Allegri.
Of these three, which would be the best appointment. Here, I power rank Arsenal’s most likely Emery successors.
3. Nuno Espirito Santo
As of wiring, Nuno Espirito Santo is the favourite to replace Unai Emery. Head of football Raul Sanllehi will lean into his contacts book, in which super-agent Jorge Mendes is written in bold, and Espirito Santo will be a name right at the top of the list of potential candidates. But does he actually deserve to be?
Espirito Santo has conducted an excellent job at Wolves, first guiding them to serene promotion from the Championship, and then to Premier League safety, a top-half finish and European football. But he has done so thanks to some extravagant spending for a Championship and middling Premier League team, all run by the Mendes project — this is why Wolves have signed a horde of excellent Portuguese players in recent years.
He also plays a counter-attacking style, is naturally conservative in his nature, and has a very poor record against lower-ranked teams. Ring any bells? His work with Wolves is undeniable, so any complaints are a little entitled, but there are reasons to be cautious also.
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