Former Portuguese footballer and now the head coach of Wolves Nuno Espirito Santo is now reportedly the leading candidate to replace Unai Emery at Arsenal. The Spanish coach is under extreme pressure following the Gunners' poor performance. Espirito Santo recently broke his silence on reports linking him to be the next manager at the Emirates.
Earlier this week, reports claimed that Arsenal has once again given Unai Emery three more games to prove that he is still the right man for the job. However, some of the board members of the club fear that sticking to the Spanish coach might eventually result in the mass departure of its key players considering Lacazette and Aubameyang are not yet resigning their contracts with the club. While Emery's borrowed time at the club is running, the Gunners are reportedly considering Wolves' coach Nuno Espirito Santo to be his replacement.
The Portuguese coach is reportedly the leading candidate to be Arsenal's next coach. Reports point out that his manager Jorge Mendes has close ties with Arsenal Head of Football Raul Sanllehi, which could be a significant factor. The 45 years old coach led the Wolves to the championship title a couple of years ago. In a recent interview, Espirito Santo declined to make a comment on reports linking with the managerial position at Arsenal.
Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo has emerged as the leading candidate to be Arsenal’s next manager, having impressed Arsenal hierarchy with the job he has done at Wolves & the long-standing relationship between head of football Raul Sanllehi & Santo’s agent Jorge Mendes. [Mail] pic.twitter.com/HvLkn3nuyb — afcstuff (@afcstuff) November 26, 2019
Responding to the growing speculation, Espirito Santo said the press knows him well enough, and they know that he will not answer it. I will never mention an issue that is not true, and considering that it is about a managerial job, it would be disrespectful, the Portuguese coach remarked. When asked if he is happy with the Wolves, he answered that he thinks the club is doing okay.
Meanwhile, Arsenal has reportedly called a crisis meeting recently about the club's current status. Its most recent game against Southampton was a draw, and fans want Arsenal to sack Emery as soon as possible, pointing the blame on the Spanish coach for the performance of the club. Earlier reports claim that even Arsenal players have already lost faith in their Spanish coach and believe that he could not turn things around for them.
Aside from Nuno Espirito Santo, several other names were linked with Arsenal. This includes Mikel Arteta, Mauricio Pochettino, and Max Allegri. Mikel Arteta has reportedly asked Arsenal for a sit down amidst mounting speculations. The board already interviewed Max Allegri in 2018, but following his retirement, Allegri is now on a sabbatical. Mauricio Pochettino was recently exiled from Tottenham Hotspur. It is unclear yet who will Arsenal choose to replace Unai Emery.
