Laurent Blanc Reportedly Considered as Bruce Arena Replacement for USMNT

The USA are reportedly considering former France and Paris Saint-Germain manager Laurent Blanc as their next coach after Bruce Arena resigned following his failure to guide the team to FIFA World Cup qualification.

ESPN FC's Jonathan Johnson relayed the news from France Football's Francois Verdenet:

Verdenet (h/t The Sun's Steve Goodman) also reported the Frenchman is receptive to the idea.

Blanc has not taken up a position since his departure from PSG last year, where he won three Ligue 1 titles and two Coupes de France in three years. He also won three Coupes de la Ligue in that time, having previously won the competition and Ligue 1 with Bordeaux back in 2009.

With France, he guided them to the 2012 UEFA European Championship, where his side exited at the quarter-final stage at the hands of eventual winners Spain.

The USMNT may never have been contenders at a World Cup, but the team nevertheless failed to live up to its pedigree in failing to qualify:

Its failure was all the more remarkable because of the excellent position it was in prior to the final round of fixtures, per ESPN's Paul Carr:

The USA are a team with enormous potential, not least of all thanks to the likes of Christian Pulisic, but rebuilding the squad after such a disappointment will be no easy task.

Former USMNT star Taylor Twellman pulled no punches in his impassioned assessment of the state of U.S. Soccer right now and the changes that need to be made from top to bottom, per sports journalist Max Wildstein:

Arena's replacement will have a significant role to play in that overhaul, and it will be a long road to the next World Cup in five years' time.

As such, Johnson believes Blanc would not be the right choice:

Snapping up a manager of his calibre would be an impressive coup for the USA, particularly given their current position, but it's imperative they appoint a manager who is aware of what they need to get back on track and prepared to dedicate the time to doing that.