While talk of Arsene Wenger leaving the Gunners gathers steam, there seems to be another manager linked with the move and it might be a surprising one with Ronald Koeman being the man expected to take over the London club from the French manager.
Tintin, as he is fondly called, has done an incredible job at Southampton with barely a budget that can be compared to Arsenal’s and knows how to get the best out of the players that he has. Koeman also has a history of getting a few good signings using a vast scouting network and his history with Barcelona and Ajax should make him a great option for Arsenal but what would his signing mean for the Gunners?
A different approach to playing
Koeman played under Johan Cruyff in the Barcelona dream team and that only would mean the 53-year-old has picked up a lot from the legend who recently passed away. Koeman is the only person to have played in the big three clubs in the Netherlands and to have managed them as well, this just shows his ability as coaching the likes of Ajax, PSV and Feyenoord aren’t something which can be done by just anyone.
The Dutch manager also has spent time in Portugal and Spain as a manager and that experience certainly has helped him get better. He does set up his team rather well and has shown with Southampton the kind of football they can play.
There has been one problem with his during his stay with the Saints and that is the lack of transfers, something he raised as he spoke that he could be leaving the club if he was not given the funds. He knows that he can take Southampton only so far and moving to Arsenal would be a great option for him and for Arsenal as well.
He is someone who likes to play a certain brand of football, something which is pretty similar to how Arsenal play, but he does have a couple of great wingers and his requirement for a top quality center-forward is seen regularly. He also has a great eye for talent with the likes of Virgil van Dijk doing really well despite moving from Scottish football, which isn’t the highest level of the game.
Koeman does have a pretty decent record as well, despite constantly losing his best players, something that Arsenal fans would know about, Koeman has maintained his side to be a top 10 one and he does have a 46% winning record for the Saints.
Southampton might be bracing to lose yet another person in the summer, but this time it could be their manager and not a player. Koeman to Arsenal might seem a little off, but the relationship could be a brilliant one for the years to come.