Wolfgang Rattay / Reuters
Arsene Wenger’s coy responses over his Arsenal future have led the club to draw up a four-man shortlist over who could succeed the Frenchman, reports The Mirror’s John Cross.
Borussia Dortmund’s Thomas Tuchel takes top spot over Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri – who didn’t rule himself out of the running on Thursday – Bayer Leverkusen’s Roger Schmidt, and Leonardo Jardim, who’s guided AS Monaco to the summit of Ligue 1.
Related: Allegri evades talk over succeeding Wenger at Arsenal
The Arsenal link for Tuchel has even prompted Dortmund to scour the market for potential replacements, according to Alex Richards of The Mirror.
Wenger’s contract at Arsenal expires at the end of the campaign, and he intensified speculation that he could end his stay of 21 seasons in north London when he failed to give a straight answer on his future last week.
“It’s not all quantifiable,” Wenger said on assessing his performance this term. “It’s linked with your gut feeling as well.”
In Tuchel, Arsenal would pick up one of the most highly regarded young coaches in the game, but Dortmund’s domestic performance this term – stationed fourth and 12 points adrift of league-leading Bayern Munich – has been underwhelming.
It’s a similar story for Schmidt in Leverkusen’s ninth-placed Bundesliga standing, although his penchant for entertaining football and enhanced reputation for honing youngsters could win over the demanding Emirates Stadium support.
Allegri and Jardim possess top spot in their respective divisions, with the former building on Antonio Conte’s designs at Juventus to clinch back-to-back Serie A titles, and the latter showcasing free-scoring football at Monaco after a nomadic coaching career to date.
Arsenal hosts Hull City on Saturday before travelling to Bayern Munich for the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 meeting on Wednesday.
