Arsene Wenger would be willing to discuss the England job with the FA when his contract at Arsenal expires next year, according to British media reports.
Wenger, 66, has been tipped as one of the candidates to succeed Roy Hodgson as England coach, but the Arsenal boss has consistently said he will see out the final season of his current contract before making any decision about his future.
England are without a coach after Hodgson stepped down following the 2-1 loss to Iceland at the Euro 2016 but FA chief executive Martin Glenn has said he would be willing to wait for the ideal candidate, and The Times and Daily Telegraph both reported on Thursday that Wenger would be open to an approach.
If the Frenchman is interested, however, any deal to take the job would probably have to wait until next summer, meaning the FA would need to find an interim manager during the start of World Cup qualifying.
Gareth Southgate, the England under-21 coach, had been mentioned as a possible short-term solution but is reportedly not interested in taking charge of the senior team.
Jurgen Klinsmann, currently in charge of United States, has also been linked with the position and his odds have dropped significantly.
Wenger has often expressed an unwillingness to move into international management and has rejected the chance to coach France in the past, but his future at Arsenal is uncertain after an unconvincing season in which the Gunners failed to win a trophy.
Wenger, who will mark his 20th anniversary at the club in October, has been adamant that he will not discuss a contract extension until next summer, but the Daily Mail reports that Arsenal could offer him an extension much sooner to avoid any uncertainty.
Jurgen Klinsmann would be the wrong manager to take charge of England. @noahedavis: es.pn/296lO7R
He came under increased criticism from fans this spring as the team failed to maintain a title challenge in the Premier League, and he has acknowledged that Arsenal's results next season will probably influence whether he will stay on as manager.
Wenger, who is working as a TV pundit during Euro 2016, has already been asked this month about the prospect of replacing France boss Didier Deschamps after the 2018 World Cup, when he said: "I am getting a bit old now to make long-term plans. For the moment I am a club manager. We shall see what happens."
Former Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood said Wenger's age may prevent him from taking up a new challenge.
"I want him to stay at Arsenal. He is not a young chicken," Hill-Wood said in theDaily Mirror. "He is 66 and he would be 67 when his contract is up and turn 69 a few months after the next World Cup. It is quite senior to be in that sort of role."
No comments:
Write comments