Why Arsenal Should Monitor Jurgen Klopp's Struggles at Borussia Dortmund Closely

Jurgen Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund have now lost four Bundesliga matches in a row. They are teetering perilously close to the relegation zone. Inevitably, such a poor run of form has prompted speculation over Klopp’s future.

Arsenal must watch the situation carefully. Klopp seems like the ideal candidate to eventually replace Arsene Wenger as Gunners boss. If the German coach comes on to the market earlier than anticipated, the Arsenal board may need to rethink their succession plan.

Martin Samuel of the Daily Mail has pointed out that if Klopp leaves Dortmund too early, it could leave Arsenal facing something of a dilemma:

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Might there be trouble in paradise? Wenger, plainly, is not about to stand aside just yet — but Klopp may be ready to move on. What if Arsenal cannot get the delicate timing right? What if this supposedly seamless transition requires more negotiation than previously imagined? What if it demands—gulp—the hardest call of all?

Arsenal director Chips Keswick told the annual meeting last week that when the time comes for succession he hoped the club would be spoiled for choice. Optimism abounds. Yet, as Dortmund continue to flounder, it is Arsenal who should feel most nervous about where the slump ends.

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Arsenal are acutely aware of the scale of the challenge that lies ahead. Sooner or later, Wenger will have to be replaced. Speaking to the BBC about the daunting task, chief executive Ivan Gazidis admitted it will be a pivotal moment in the club’s history:

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The biggest challenge we're going to face as a club is that transition from Arsene to the next manager. We have a giant who's managing us. Arsene has put the club in a great, great position.

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Wenger’s current deal runs until 2017, and it is widely assumed it will be the last contract of his Arsenal tenure. By the time it runs out, Wenger will be 67 and potentially ready to step aside.

Klopp looks like a worthy successor. His sides play a blistering brand of attacking football that would thrill the Emirates crowd. After years coping with Bayern Munich, he’s accustomed to competing with rivals with infinitely bigger budgets. He’s an anglophile with a deep knowledge for English football and respect for the culture.

Klopp and Arsenal seem made for each other.

Frank Augstein/Associated Press

Speaking to the official Arsenal website in 2011, Wenger even went as far as to identify Klopp as a younger version of himself:

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He's a younger version for sure. He's a man with personality who has done extremely well in the German football temple.

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Klopp seems like the perfect man to step in to the football cathedral that is the Emirates Stadium. However, Arsenal will not be alone in having identified his gifts. He is a genuine star of the managerial field and is likely to be inundated with offers when he decides to leave Dortmund.

For that reason, Arsenal must hope Klopp is able to arrest his recent slump. If he decides he is a spent force at Dortmund and resigns, the chances of him being Wenger’s heir decrease dramatically.

Wenger is not going anywhere until 2017. He has never broken a contract with a club, and it is unthinkable that he would ever be unwillingly relieved of his duties. If Klopp were to come on the market now, the idea that he would go almost three seasons without taking a job elsewhere is fanciful.

Arsenal would lose their man.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and has been nominated as the best Established Football Blogger at the Football Blog Awards. Click here to vote for him.