Next Arsenal Manager Odds: Who could replace Mikel Arteta if he left?
When Tottenham signed up for the Amazon series ‘All Or Nothing’ the club’s then manager, Mauricio Pochettino, was subsequently sacked three months into the filmed season (2019/20) following an underwhelming start which left Spurs 14th in the table.
A similar fate could now await the incumbent of their North London rivals Arsenal, Mikel Arteta, who is now the odds-on favourite to be the first Premier League manager to leave following three straight defeats, zero goals, and no points.
With Arteta’s Emirates future shrouded in doubt, we’ve dissected the next Arsenal manager market to see who could be a suitable fit for the club should they soon seek a fresh face in the dugout...
Brendan Rodgers: 2/1
Hotly linked with Tottenham in the summer but he vocally dismissed those rumours and committed himself to Leicester City. Brendan Rodgers reiterated how happy he was in his current project at the King Power and is bidding to elevate his exciting team to the next level after back-to-back top-five finishes.
Rodgers is an excellent man-manager, tactically astute, and knows the Premier League inside-out. He did previously leave a job mid-way through the season - from Celtic to Leicester - which could give Arsenal a glimmer of hope, but it’s extremely difficult to see him jumping ship right now.
Antonio Conte: 4/1
Would be the stand-out candidate.
Antonio Conte is an elite manager and serial-winner who is looking for his next opportunity after a successful two-year spell at Inter Milan. Like Rodgers, he was in contention for the Tottenham job, however the Italian pulled the plug on a deal as he wasn’t convinced by the project.
Conte, a Premier League and multiple Serie A winner, is seen as the ideal choice by many fans and would definitely fit the bill of a ‘blockbuster appointment’. He may need a lot of convincing though.
Eddie Howe: 4/1
There was a time when Eddie Howe was being linked with some of the top jobs in the country.
He did an incredible job across two spells at Bournemouth but in the end suffered relegation down to the Championship. This, combined with the fact that he’s now spent over a year in the Job Centre, means an appointment at Arsenal would come as a big surprise.
Howe does, however, employ an exciting and attacking brand of football, although he has been criticised from a defensive perspective - an area Arsenal definitely need to improve in - and at 4/1 he appears far too short.
Graham Potter: 10/1
Has the potential to be one of the managerial stars of the future.
After spells in Sweden and Swansea, Graham Potter has continued to rise up the ladder at Brighton, and was one of multiple managers to catch the attention of Spurs earlier this summer.
During the last two years Potter has transformed Brighton into a progressive and expansive unit who create a plethora of chances. He won praise for shoring up the defence in the second-half of last season and orchestrated memorable wins over the likes of Spurs, City, and Liverpool. He also now sports a rather impressive beard.
The Arteta project may be wilting, but Project Potter could prove to be very appealing.
Christophe Galtier: 12/1
A brilliant manager who led Lille to a shock Ligue 1 success last season.
Christophe Galtier has since traded dugouts to Nice where he’d enjoyed an unbeaten start to life in the French Riviera, which includes successive 4-0 wins.
Galtier would be a welcome addition to the Premier League’s managerial roster but while you can never say never, we can’t see him leaving his new Nice post.
Paulo Fonseca: 14/1
Caught the attention of Tottenham, Crystal Palace, Everton, and more recently Atlanta United but the former Roma manager remains jobless, for now.
Paulo Fonseca’s Roma side were thoroughly entertaining throughout his two-year tenure, although he ultimately failed to propel the club into the top-four, finishing 5th and 7th respectively.
Previously thrived at Shakhtar Donetsk, has had multiple spells in Portugal, and given his thirst for goals and entertainment an appointment at Arsenal would be a lot of fun. Whether Fonseca is the right man to solidify a wobbly defence is open to debate.
Roberto Martinez: 14/1
Since leaving Everton he’s spent the last five years at the helm of Belgium’s Golden Generation who finished third at the 2018 World Cup, but only reached the quarter-finals of the Euros. Although, they did lose to eventual winners Italy.
Roberto Martinez, who has a 77% win rate with Belgium, is signed up until the 2022 World Cup but has shown an inkling to return to the Premier League and could well be tempted if Arsenal came knocking.
Ernesto Valverde: 14/1
Another interesting name at 14/1 is former Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde, who has surprisingly yet to return since leaving the club in early 2020.
He won back-to-back titles at Barcelona, won a trio of league titles at Olympiakos including two doubles, lifted the Super Cup at Athletic Bilbao, and led Espanyol to a UEFA Cup final.
Steven Gerrard: 14/1
The Liverpool legend has long been seen as an eventual successor to Jurgen Klopp at Anfield. With Klopp's current contract running to 2024 - at the earliest - Steven Gerrard may get tired of waiting.
The former England skipper has built up over three years of invaluable experience in a high-pressure environment at Rangers, who won the title last season.
His loyalty could well be tested if Arsenal came calling, despite the club's early season strugglers.
Lucien Favre: 22/1
Has a track record of taking clubs to the next level as he did during his time in charge of Nice, Hertha BSC, and Borussia Monchengladbach. He came within a whisker of winning the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund too.
Lucien Favre looks to play entertaining football and has developed a range of young talents during his time in management, meaning he could be a decent fit at Arsenal.
22/1 seems a tasty price for the out-of-work Swiss.
Diego Simeone: 25/1
Here at The Sack Race we’ve long pined for Diego Simeone to jet over to the Premier League.
Despite frequent interest from top-tier clubs across europe and beyond, he’s stayed loyal to his beloved Atletico Madrid who he led to the title last term, and he’ll fancy his chances of bagging another this time around.
Roberto Mancini: 33/1
Roberto Mancini masterminded Italy to Euros glory and is currently unbeaten in a titanic 34 matches.
The style guru transformed the Azzurri into a winning machine complete with eye-catching football, a new identity, and the restoration of national pride.
Would be a real coup if Arsenal could tempt him, but unfortunately the passionate Italian is likely to have his sights firmly set on World Cup glory next year.
Patrick Vieira: 33/1
Needs to prove himself in his new post at Crystal Palace before we can seriously talk about Patrick Vieira returning to Arsenal.
Ralf Rangnick: 33/1
Long been linked with a move to the Premier League - and we still hope this happens - but it's difficult to predict in what field: manager or sporting director.
Ralf Rangnick has enjoyed success in both areas, but has only managed RB Leipzig (twice) in the last decade, while he just recently signed a three-year deal with Russia side Lokomotiv Moscow as the club’s head of sports and development.
Kasper Hjulmand: 33/1
A more attractive outsider could be Kasper Hjulmand at 33/1.
His reputation has soared significantly since leading Denmark to within the cusp of a European Championship final.
His courageous and entertaining side won the support of every neutral, while he handled Christian Eriksen's collapse with remarkable dignity and compassion.
Zinedine Zidane: 40/1
A tempting price at 40/1 considering he is currently unemployed.
Won three straight Champions League trophies and two league titles at Real Madrid, yet he still has his doubters.
With this in mind, it would be fascinating to see how Zinedine Zidane would perform in unfamiliar surroundings.
Arsene Wenger: 40/1
Imagine.
Scroll down for the full list of odds...
