This coming season could be the final time we see Arsene Wenger gracing the sidelines at the Emirates Stadium, with the boss ready to consider taking the England job.
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According to The Times, the 66-year-old believes now is the time to consider a change from the Gunners, and national management has always been a tempting move.
Wenger currently has just one year left on his deal at the Emirates, with many believing it acts as a win or bust season to see whether or not he’ll still be around in the Premier League.
Despite stating repeatedly for several years that he is hopelessly devoted to the club he has spent 20 years at, recent campaigns have suggested he has no longer got the confidence of the fans.
The FA are lining up Wenger as a long-term replacement for the recently departed Roy Hodgson, who resigned imminently after the countries embarrassing exit from Euro 2016.
A panel will meet to discuss the shortlist, but the media believe Wenger is top of the list after chief executive Martin Glenn confirmed the replacement doesn’t necessarily have to be English.
Having been linked to coaching the French squad throughout his Arsenal tenure, Wenger has been insistent that national football would not be in his interest until he was no longer needed at Arsenal.
The Gunners board are reportedly keen to offer the current longest-serving manager a two-year extension providing business goes well over the summer, and they would prefer him to see out his career at the club.
However, with fans in denial over his decision-making and lack of silverware to line the cabinet in a 12 year period, this could well be his last season in charge at North London.
Wenger has the maturity to call time on his career at Arsenal, and when he feels he’s ready to leave he will do it with the best interests of the club at heart, he will not be sacked.
This will purely come down to whether or not he wants the pressure of the ‘impossible job’ but national football could be a fantastic way to draw the curtain on his career.
In the meantime, England will look for an interim manager capable of taking on the side for a year during World Cup 2018 qualifying, if Wenger is to take the job after the 2016/17 campaign.
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