Although
Arsenal’s fan base still remains very divided regarding the predicament of the
Frenchman- who has taken sports writers’ columns by storm following Arsenal’s
recent defeats to Blackburn and Bayern Munich, there is a growing realisation
that the end of the tenure of Arsenal’s is nearing its twilight, and that even
if the club wish to try and retain the services of Wenger, it certainly seems
unlikely that he will be around for another 16 years.
Only time
will how the distinctive Wenger’s legacy of Arsene Wenger will be viewed, but
there is no doubt that he has had a great influence on the way things have been
done at the club- too much of an influence, some would say- and this means that
he will leave a large void when his departure ultimately arrives, and whatever
you think of him at the moment, he will certainly not be easy to replace, and
indeed, I believe that choosing his successor will be a crucial decision in the
history of Arsenal Football Club, as we must try and find a man who is able
turn Arsenal into winners again, and create his own legacy in the process. So
will our board of directors pick out an obscure gem, like Wenger once was, a
young up and coming starlet or will they
turn to a manager who already has experience and working across the
ever-changing expanses of European Football. These questions will be answered
in time, but currently I believe there would be no better man to lead Arsenal
than the Great Dane- Micheal Laudrup.
A man with a
highly prestigious playing career, Laudrup won an incredible five straight La
Liga titles with Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid, as well as playing
104 times for Denmark- a nation who in 2006, placed upon him the accolade of
being their greatest ever player. As a player Laudrup clearly knew how to win,
a trait which seems to have deserted Arsenal in recent years, and could be a
characteristic that could be huge asset for any new manager.
Laudrup has
also recently transferred this winning mentality to management, with his
Swansea side’s ruthless, cutting-edge displays in the League Cup- in which they
recently demolished Bradford City at Wembley to pick up the club’s first major
trophy in its history. This win also showed Laudrup’s hunger for trophies and
the emphasis he is willing to place on the domestic trophies, a desire which
some may Arsene Wenger has lacked slightly in recent times.
Laudrup’s managerial
CV prior to his brief reign at Swansea is also underestimated by many. Laufrup
started out his career in management as the assistant coach of his native
Denmark- a role in which he was seen as big success, he and Morten Olsen
masterminding Denmark’s progression to the knock-out stages of the 2002 World
Cup. This excellent result led to Laudrup’s appointment as manager of Danish
Superliga side Brøndby
in the same year. In his first season with the club, Laudrup led the team to
the Danish Cup, and a strong second-place finish in the Superliga, as well as
claiming the Danish manager of the year award. In the following season, Laudrup
again led Brøndby to a second-place finish in the
Danish superliga, this time just a single point behind winners FC Copenhagen.
However, he finally led his side to the Superliga title in the 2004-05 season,
in which he also managed to complete a double, winning his second Danish Cup in
four seasons, this again led to Laudrup being voted Danish manager of the year.
After finishing runners-up in the 2005-06 Danish Superliga, Laudrup decided not
to renew his contract at Brøndby, and in July 2007, he was unveiled as the new manger of
Madrid’s third football club- Getafe.
Despite not
being known as a powerhouse in Spanish football, Laudrup led Getafe to a
reasonable success, reaching the Copa Del Rey final- in which they lost out to
Valencia- and the quarter-final of the EUFA Cup, where they were defeated by
Bayern Munich. However, he only stayed one season at getafe before moving
swiftly onto Spartak Moscow.
However,
Laudrup’s spell at the Russian club proved to be perhaps the one blemish on his
managerial CV, as he was sacked in April 2009 following Spartak’s 3-0 defeat to
Dinamo Moscow in the quarter-final of the Russian Cup.
In July 2010,
Laudrup entered his next mangerial post, returning to Spain to manage RCD
Mallorca. In his one and only season with the club, Laudrup managed to help
Mallorca retain their place in La Liga against the odds, after the club had had
to sell many of theirkey first-team players due to major financial problems,
which had also led to the club’s ejection from the EUFA cup. At the beginning
of the 2011-12 season Laudrup resigned following the suprise sacking of his
assistant, which led to a fallout with the club’s director of football. In June
2012, Laudrup then became Swansea manager, where his superb work has been
showcased for all English football fans to see.
As well as
his rather impressive CV, Laudrup’s footballing philosphy also makes him an
excellent fit for Arsenal. Known widely for his elegance, creativity and
technical prowess as a player, Laudrup has clearly implemented the philosophy
he flourished under as a player in his managerial career, promoting a
short-passing game in all the post he has held- from his job as assissant
manager of Denmark to his current job at Swansea. And although there are many
things that Gooners may disagree with Arsene Wenger on, one clear pint of
mutual agreement is our appreciation of the possession football that Le Professor
has brought to the fore at Arsenal, and I believe this is something that most
Gooners would want to see continue under Arsenal’s next manager.
If there is
one downside to Laudrup, it is his possibly lack of loyalty to the clubs he has
managed. I said earlier that the next manager of Arsenal must try and create
his own legacy, and as Laudrup has only stayed in many of his managerial posts
for a single season before moving on to bigger things, it is questionable that
Laudrup would have the desire and commitment to do this, and may simply use
Arsenal as a stepping stone before taking over at one of his former clubs
Barcelona or Real Madrid. Although, with potentially vast resources at his
disposal (all 123 million of them) if the board will let him use them, Laudrup
could achieve great success at Arsenal and take them back to Europe’s top
table, so possibly there would be no motivation to move on.
So with a
highly attractive blend of intelligence, managerial experience across mainland
Europe, a stylish and excitng philosphy, a burning desire for success and an
infectious enthusiasm and likeability, I strongly Micheal Laudrup to be the best
candidate currently available to replace Arsene Wenger. But be warned, if we
don’t act fast and decisively, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Dane made his
move to one of European football’s top brass before we can lure him to North
London.
Follow me on
Twitter @goonerwalker
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