Arsenal fans have been quite loud in demanding that team manager Unai Emery is sacked and for valid reasons. It's been over a month since the Gunners last won, and the threat of relegation has been a daily reminder. Still, the club board is unlikely to fire the Spanish boss anytime soon.
It's all about business as it seemed that for Arsenal, keeping Emery in charge will be cheaper. Waiting until the season ends before dismissing the head coach will cost the North London club nothing. Plus, the board has the option of keeping him for another 12 months if things will change for the better.
If not, the Arsenal board can show Emery the exit door immediately, but such a move entails a price to pay, to the tuned of £4 million. According to Mirror, the Gunners seemed unwilling to pay that much just to let go of the team manager, who has become increasingly unpopular at the Emirates.
Per the same report, it appeared that Emery gained even more confidence that Arsenal will not be getting rid of him. He revealed that in a recent meet with club executives, he had the understanding the hierarchy remains supportive.
"I know I can do better, I can take more performances with the players, and I'm going to try to do that. Now my job is to analyze, to try to move on with confidence with the players," the Spaniard was reported as saying.
Yet in the event that Emery gets the ax, Arsenal seems ready to pick from a brilliant bunch of candidates as replacements. Jose Mourinho was mentioned before, but the former Manchester United coach is now with Tottenham, taking the job from the sacked Mauricio Pochettino.
Pochettino, too, was rumored as a strong contender, but if the reports are to be believed, the Gunners have ruled him out because of his past links with Tottenham.
So the selection is now focused on Nuno Espirito Santo, who according to The Daily Mail is regarded at the moment as the leading candidate to take over from Emery. Currently, Nuno calls the shots for the Wolves.
"The 45-year-old Portuguese manager led Wolves to the Championship title two years ago," added the report, also highlighting why Arsenal has taken a liking on Nuno.
Somehow, the Wolves manager has a connection with the Gunners as his agent Jorge Mendes is supposedly an old friend of Raul Sanllehi. The latter is Arsenal's head of football operations.
Nuno or any other replacements coming in anytime to take the lead at the Emirates is not too far-fetched. Speculations are rife that Emery is now on close watch on a game-by-game basis, and that could mean Arsenal might make the decision to sack him anytime.
