Jose Mourinho Reportedly Approached to Replace Arsene Wenger Amid Arsenal Unrest

Jose Mourinho is reportedly considering an approach to replace Arsene Wenger as manager of Arsenal as pressure continues to mount on the Frenchman. 

According to Duncan Castles of ONE World Sports, Mourinho was approached by a third party representing the Gunners earlier this month and "asked if he would be interested in working at Arsenal should Wenger's position be made vacant."

The Portuguese was also reportedly told not to commit to any other job before May after being widely tipped as Louis van Gaal's successor at Manchester United.

Castles outlined why Wenger is currently under increasing pressure at Arsenal: 

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Supporter dismay over Wenger's failure to adapt what was once a transformational managerial method to the current reality of Premier League competition comes amidst complaints from within Arsenal's dressing room over an absence of leadership. Players joining Arsenal from other leading clubs have found themselves bemused by Wenger's failure to devise the kind of opponent-focused tactical strategies that are now standard elsewhere; the Frenchman holding to a belief that when Arsenal play "their football" well they will overcome all opponents.

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The Gunners were again knocked out of the UEFA Champions League at the last-16 stage this term—for the sixth consecutive year—and look set to miss out on the Premier League title for the 12th season running.

Wenger has felt pressure due to his lack of recent titles before now, but Arsenal's failure has been compounded this season by the fact that they look set to lose out to Leicester City or Tottenham Hotspur, two clubs "whose resources in terms of personnel and finances are clearly weaker than Arsenal's," per Castles.

The 66-year-old cannot, this season, use the excuse that his team were beaten to the title by financial behemoths Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United.

The Gunners still have a chance of catching league leaders Leicester, but the Foxes currently have an 11-point lead for Arsenal to make up in just eight games.

Following Arsenal's FA Cup exit to Watford earlier this month, Bleacher Report's Dean Jones suggested the upcoming summer would be the perfect time for Wenger to step aside at the Emirates Stadium:

Mourinho would be a top-level replacement given his impressive record in the Champions League and Premier League, but he has been heavily linked with the United job—a position in which his former player Frank Lampard believes he would excel, per Goal's Franco Panizo.

The former Chelsea and England midfielder said:

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I think Mourinho can manage anywhere in the world. 

I think he’s shown it with his record and whether it’s with Porto, a so-called smaller team in Europe; Chelsea, the success he had there; Inter, again taking a team that’s hardly won the Champions League to go and win it; Real Madrid.

No job will be too much for him. [Manchester United is] not an easy job, similar with Antonio Conte with Chelsea [the Italian is expected to take over in the summer], but he certainly has the attributes to do it.

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It would be somewhat embarrassing for Wenger to be replaced at Arsenal by Mourinho after almost 20 years at the club.

The two have never got on in the past, with Mourinho once branding the former AS Monaco boss a "specialist in failure," per BBC Sport.

While it seems an unlikely appointment, Wenger does look to be under more pressure than ever in his job, and there is a degree of uncertainty as to whether he will still be in charge of Arsenal next season.