It did not take long for Sam Allardyce to leave his ‘dream job,’ as the former Bolton Wanderers and Newcastle manager was out of the England job after just one match. The England FA are on the hunt for a new boss once again. Several rumours have suggested that the FA will not be limiting their search to England nationals alone. Fabio Capello was the last foreign national to manage the national team. After having gone with the English option in the last two attempts, England have not experienced much success.
Two of the most outrageous names to be linked with the vacant England managerial job are Arsene Wenger and Mauricio Pochettino. The duo seems well settled at the North London club’s – Arsenal and Tottenham – and it is extremely optimistic to think that they would join a national team which has underperformed for the last four decades. Yet, both Pochettino and Wenger have given hints that they would consider the role. Of the two, Wenger may be the best placed to join England.
The Frenchman is out of contract at the end of the campaign and there have been long-standing rumours that he would quit Arsenal sooner rather than later. Wenger does not enjoy the same kind of popularity amongst Arsenal supporters like he used to do a few years ago. A growing section of supporters are not happy with the club’s inability to challenge for the top honours. In the past, Wenger has been cited as the perfect boss for England since he would nurture youth in the best possible way.
Bringing youngsters through into the national team has been one of England’s Achilles’ heel. Roy Hodgson, though, managed to do an excellent job by bringing in the likes of Harry Kane, Danny Rose, Dele Alli, and Ross Barkley into the national team fold. A major chunk of Spurs players have benefited from England’s policy of introducing youngsters to the national team. The thought of those players being managed by Wenger, who is the epitome of modern Arsenal, would be a nonstarter in the minds of hard-core Spurs supporters.
In such a scenario, Tottenham left back Rose claims that Wenger would be a great option for England. Rose has already raked up eight appearances for the national team since his debut this year. The 26-year-old admitted that it would feel strange, but he has pointed to the presence of many Arsenal players in the squad. He expects the presence of Wenger to provide a similar feel and no animosity due to his Arsenal connections. Rose was quoted by Standard Sport saying:
“What he’s done for Arsenal over the last 20 years has been brilliant. The football that Arsenal play is breathtaking to watch at times.
“If he was to ever become manager of England that could certainly do wonders for the country. It would be great to have a manager like him with all the experience he has got. I’d be all for that.
“I wouldn’t find it strange. I’m a football fan more than anything. There are Arsenal players in the England camp — it doesn’t mean that I don’t speak to them.
“My best friend in football is Danny Welbeck and he plays for Arsenal so just because Arsene Wenger has been manager of Arsenal, it wouldn’t bother me in the slightest. It’s about having the best man for the job.”
Gareth Southgate has been appointed on a temporary basis, but the England FA would ideally like to have a replacement before the next World Cup qualifiers.