Arsenal Must Start Looking for Arsene Wenger's Replacement Now

The "In Arsene We Trust" banner that is often raised at the Emirates Stadium isn’t fluttering as valiantly as it once was, but Arsene Wenger still embodies Arsenal as a club. He is their personification.

Indeed, the Frenchman has transformed the north London club in the 18 years he has been there. Arsenal are now considered an outpost of European sophistication in the English game, far from what they were in the 1980s and '90s, and train and play at state-of-the-art facilities all pushed through by Wenger.

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Perhaps more so than any other club in England, Arsenal have changed beyond pretty much all recognition over the past two decades, and it’s all down to Wenger.

And yet the Gunners boss finds himself a persistent target for scrutiny and criticism. He may have modernized Arsenal, but his critics say that Wenger has failed to bring his own methods and practices as a coach in line with the modern game.

Wenger might be the elder statesman of the Premier League following Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement last year, but he is no longer the dominant force he was once.

Thus discussion has turned to who will succeed Wenger when he finally hangs up his caterpillar coat with the dodgy zipper and leaves his Arsenal legacy behind. It’s even been raised as a subject of conversation by the club’s chief executive Ivan Gazidis.

“So much of the attention on a football club is around an individual and that’s understandable at Arsenal because we have a giant who’s managing us,” said Gazidis, per Arsenal.com (via Jeremy Wilson of The Daily Telegraph).

“Arsene has been a fantastic driver and has put the club in a great, great position. The biggest challenge we’re going to face as a club is that when the transition from Arsene to our next manager happens – and I don’t know when that’s going to be – that we come through that strongly.”

What Gazidis claims is true. Arsenal don’t have to look far for a precedent in how replacing an era-defining manager can be handled poorly and can have an immediate impact on an entire club.

Manchester United are still struggling to step out of the shadow cast by Ferguson following his retirement last year. The Scot’s name literally hangs over every successor of his in the Old Trafford dugout; a presence that David Moyes failed to handle.

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Now Arsenal must start planning for Wenger’s eventual departure, whenever that may be, to avoid suffering the same fate as Manchester United. Even though their current manager signed a new three-year deal just months ago, the club’s board must start sounding out replacements.

Right now, though, it feels like Wenger is building one last team to challenge at the top of the Premier League. Just like Ferguson did when he signed an ageing Robin van Persie for £24 million, Wenger has somewhat thrown off the shackles of his own principles in order to compete.

At 64 years old, Wenger only has a few more seasons left in him, so his new three-year contract extension may have put an expiry date on his tenure at Arsenal.

So who could replace Wenger at Arsenal, when the time comes? Jurgen Klopp would seem to be the outstanding candidate, given the attractive style of football he professes and the faith he places in young, unproven players.

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Then there’s Roberto Martinez, who might be a more viable option, given that Klopp will have the pick of Europe’s biggest and best clubs whenever he leaves Borussia Dortmund.

Roma’s Rudi Garcia will be another candidate, with Frank de Boer, Pep Guardiola and Joachim Low all sure to be featured somewhere on the betting odds sheet. What is certain is that Arsenal must target the very best, something that Man United failed to do.

Of course, a lot will shift and change in the time between now and Wenger’s eventual exit from Arsenal, but the Gunners must give themselves options and a contingency plan to deal with the biggest blow their club will face in a generation.