Chelsea versus Arsenal: The Gunners will win the race for any manager
By Travis Tyler
It finally happened. Arsene Wenger has announced his departure from Arsenal. Now, Chelsea are in a losing race for any managerial target.
Many expected it but few could believe it when it finally happened; Arsene Wenger announced that he would leave Arsenal in the summer. And all of a sudden, one of the biggest and most historic jobs in the world is available.
And Chelsea suddenly became second choice for almost any manager if they decide to part with Antonio Conte. Chelsea has the resources and the modern history of success but they cannot compete with the Arsenal for managers.
It starts simply. Almost all of Chelsea’s reported targets are also Arsenal’s reported targets. Luis Enrique, Maurizio Sarri, Leonardo Jardim, and Massimiliano Allegri have all been linked to both. And which club suits each and every one of them best?
Enrique and Sarri would find the transition to Arsenal easy. Arsenal’s culture is very much the same. Jardim and Allegri are the two that are perhaps more in the Chelsea cultural mold. But realistically, any of the four could go to either club.
So why would they pick Arsenal? Well they would merely look at how the current managers are treated. At Chelsea, Antonio Conte was given second choice signings time after time. And though the Blues have a rich owner and are themselves rich, they seem to be afraid to spend.
None of those managers necessarily need money to succeed but no one has ever complained about having money to spend. And Arsenal have been spending every since The Emirates was completed. Chelsea have not even begun their new stadium, which is likely to squeeze the Blues’ funds for years to come.
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The amount of control given to managers is also a winning point for Arsenal. Wenger had near total control over Arsenal’s dealings. He chose the targets, young and old, and the board did their best to get them. It appears that the only thing a Chelsea manager can do is suggest a type of player. Like a “target man” and the board comes back suggesting Andy Carroll.
Arsenal also win on which club is easiest to take over right now. The managers will look at Chelsea and see Premier League winning manager pushed out just a year later. But at Arsenal they will see a club that has stood by a project about 15 years too long.
Simply put, following Wenger is a difficult job to mess up. The Arsenal fans have been so desperate for him to leave that they would gladly accept just about anyone who gets similar results. They could deal with a down year or two if they saw positive signs.
That is impossible at Chelsea. Chelsea fans accept only success. They do not have time for building and neither does the owner. That is a scary proposition for any manager. Especially the ones Chelsea have been linked to. Almost all of them required some sort of bedding in time that Chelsea simply will not afford. Arsenal will.
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The only way for Chelsea to look more appealing to managers is to show they are willing to stand by someone. They have become better at it, but it may be too little too late to make themselves appealing compared to Arsenal.