Arsenal need to learn from Manchester United’s mistakes

The day will eventually arrive when Arsene Wenger will have to walk away from Arsenal, whether that is due to retirement, in the quest of a new challenge or down to being pushed out of the club.

It is difficult at the moment to put a date on when Wenger and Arsenal will part company. Not many people expected Sir Alex Ferguson to do the same just after his side had wrapped up the Premier League title in the 2012/13 campaign to reward bet fair punters who had backed the Red Devils to win the trophy.

Regardless of how long the Frenchman does remain at the Emirates Stadium though, the club’s hierarchy should be planning now for his replacement in order to make sure they get the right man for the club. Whilst Arsenal are already on the peripheries of the title race betting, the Arsenal board will need to make sure a new man at the helm will actually steer them upwards and onwards, rather than what happened at Manchester United last season.

When you look at how Manchester United dealt with SAF leaving, they got it all wrong. David Moyes came in and the job was too big for him. As a result, the Reds dropped out of the top four and missed out on Champions League football the season after. They do look to have put that right now though with the appointment of Louis van Gaal who looks the right fit for the club. He has been able to bring in some big names and results suggest they could be a good shout once again for a top four finish.

The important thing that Arsenal need to look out for when they are searching for their next manager is that this person must have the same football philosophy as Wenger has installed at the club for 18 years. They may not get immediate results under him, but they need stability in the early period. High expectations don’t always help, as it appeared that was the wrongdoing at Old Trafford as the target for Moyes was to come in and repeat the success that Sir Alex had for all those years.

It will also be crucial for the next Arsenal manager to be backed with transfer funds. Not to the same extent as to LVG has spent this summer – as that is not feasible at the club – but allowing him to bring in one or two marquee signings would not only please the fans, but it should also lift the current crop of players. They will start to believe that they can achieve success under their new leader.

Here are five managers that should be on Arsenal’s wish list:-

. Jurgen Klopp – Borussia’s Dortmund’s German manager is eccentric to say the least. Watching him from the touchlines, you would believe he was in charge of one of the biggest clubs in Europe. However, whatever he does at the club seems to work. He has been with Dortmund since 2008 and in that time he has won Bundeslia twice and finished runner-up in the Champions League.

. Diego Simeone – Atletico Madrid ended Barcelona and Real Madrid’s dominance on the Spanish title last season when they secured La Liga on the final day of the campaign and it was all masterminded by Diego Simeone. The Argentine’s side also reached the final of the Champions League where they were beaten by local rivals Real in the final on extra-time. Although Simeone has a poor disciplinary record, on the pitch his side continue to grow and grow.

. Roberto Martinez – He’s arguably the most likeable manager in the Premier League. After helping Wigan to win the FA Cup in a huge upset over Manchester City at Wembley, the Spaniard was rewarded with the job at Everton where he replaced David Moyes. The Toffees have made steady progress under Martinez and he has been able to attract some top talent to Goodison Park. If the Gunners did choose to lure him away, he’d be a popular figure at the Emirates Stadium.

. Guus Hiddink – Just like Luis Van Gaal at Manchester United, Guus Hiddink has years of experience in European football. The Dutchman won the FA Cup in his brief spell with Chelsea. He was very popular with the players at Stamford Bridge as they all wanted him to stay longer than he did.

. Laurent Blanc – Arsenal may want to keep one thing at the Emirates the same, in the sense that they could appoint a fellow Frenchman to succeed Wenger at the club. The former Manchester United centre half has had managerial spells with Bordeaux and the France national team but he is now in charge of the Ligue 1 champions PSG. The French side are not short of stars with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, David Luiz and Edinson Cavani all in their ranks. If Blanc were to move to Arsenal, he would at least know English football well and may be able to tempt a few of Europe’s leading stars with him.