Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been a raging success since he was appointed as Gunners manager in 1996.  The Frenchman has collected three Premier League titles, six FA Cups, six Community Shields, and was awarded as the Premier League Manager of the Season on three different occasions.  Nevertheless, there will come a time in which Wenger will not be manning the sidelines at the Emirates.

There have been dozens of managers linked with a move to north London to supplant Wenger either after he retires from coaching, or sooner if the Gunners brass were to choose to sack the Frenchman.  There have been logical choices, such as: Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, and most recently Diego Simeone; however, let’s take a look back at some interesting (and somewhat comical) options of rumored Wenger replacements since 2013.

 

1. Paul Clement

Team managed at time of link: Real Madrid (assistant)

Team managed now: Bayern Munich (assistant)

While some may not exactly be familiar with Clement’s playing or coaching career, there was once a time when the Englishman was thought of as one of “Europe’s most wanted managers-in-the-making.”  There were also rumors in 2014 that Wenger himself rubber-stamped the arrival of Clement following the Frenchman’s eventual split from the club.  Clement does have managerial experience, as he was given the Derby County job in 2015; however, he was sacked by the Rams after only 33 matches with the second-tiered team.

 

2. Remi Garde

Team managed at time of link: N/A

Team managed now: N/A

Although he did play for Wenger at the end of his playing career, Garde was certainly one of the most unusual choices to replace the Arsenal manager.  At the time of his first link to receiving the Arsenal job, the Frenchman was on a break from the sport.  After an 18-month sabbatical, Garde was given the Aston Villa job in 2015.  However, the 50-year-old manager only last four months at Villa Park following a 13% win rate.  Garde is currently without a managerial job.

 

 

3. Michael Laudrup

Team managed at time of link: Swansea City

Team managed now: Al Rayyan

Linked with a move to the Emirates in 2013, Laudrup was actually widely considered to be a legitimate candidate to eventually replace Wenger.  The former Juventus, Barcelona, and Real Madrid star was a hell of a player in the 80’s and 90’s, but that always doesn’t translate to becoming a successful coach.  Laudrup began his managerial career with prosperity at the Danish club Brondby, and later with Swansea.  Yet, the Dane was sacked by Swansea brass in 2014 following a poor run of form and is now currently boss of a club in Qatar.

 

4. Roberto Martinez

Team managed at time of link: Everton

Team managed now: Belgium

The former Everton boss currently has the best job out of the managers in this list.  Martinez was linked with a move to the Gunners in 2014, and at the time, some Arsenal supporters were open to the Spaniard replacing the Arsenal legend on the sidelines.  Nevertheless, two years after being linked with the north London club, Martinez was sacked by Everton (partially due to a fan protest against the manager), as Everton slipped into the bottom half of the Premier League table.

 

5. Brendan Rodgers

Team managed at time of link: Liverpool

Team managed now: Celtic

Rodgers was another manager that was surely highly-rated at a relatively young age.  At just 37, he was given the Swansea City job and guided the Swans to promotion into the Premier League following his first season in Wales.  After a successful two seasons with Swansea, Rodgers was appointed as Liverpool boss.  The success stopped there for Rodgers.  The Northern Ireland man became the first Liverpool manager since the 1950’s to not collect a trophy within his first three seasons at the illustrious club.  Rodgers was sacked a third of the way into the 2015/16 campaign, and was later appointed as Celtic boss.