Gary Neville makes huge call over Wenger’s Arsenal successor

Arsene Wenger: Looking to stay in management

Gary Neville believes Arsenal will announce Arsene Wenger’s replacement in the next five to six days.

The Sky Sports pundit was asked for his thoughts on Wenger’s departure ahead of Arsenal’s thumping 4-1 win over West Ham on Sunday – the first match of the Frenchman’s long goodbye at the Gunners.

Wenger will bring the curtain down after 22 years in charge at Arsenal at the end of the season – but Neville believes a decision to replace the Frenchman was made LAST summer and that the club will already know who will succeed him in the hotseat.

Neville believes the two-year deal that Wenger signed last summer was a “shield” and that Arsenal were always going to let him walk at the end of this campaign.

“That the news that was broke to us earlier this week, I think it was agreed at the end of last season, it isn’t a surprise,” Gary Neville said on Sky Sports.

“The two-year contract was a shield. I would think the backroom team, the directors, owners at Arsenal have been working on a transition plan.

“I think they’ll give Arsene Wenger three, four, five days of what would be the incredible acknowledgement and appreciation of his achievements, that’s probably right.

“But I would expect next week there to be an appointment in place so everyone can face forward, look in the right direction, get the recruitment right, the players.

“Do you not think they know who the next manager will be, (Ivan) Gazidis?

“I’d be absolutely stunned and in fact that would be embarrassing if they didn’t know who the next manager is.

“I’d be shocked if they didn’t know who their next manager was.”

Sunday’s Paper Talk believes Arsenal have four men in contention to replace Wenger, though one of them – Brendan Rodgers – has seemingly already ruled himself out.

 

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