The time is coming closer for Arsenal fans as Arsene Wenger could well be leaving the club as the manager in a few years. A 20-year stay at one of the biggest clubs in the world is not easy and even though he hasn’t had the best of times in recent seasons, Wenger is one of the best managers in the history of the game and the way he changed the method of running clubs in England.
The manager who has been linked with the job, surprisingly, is Eddie Howe of Bournemouth. The 38-year-old has done an incredible job with keeping Bournemouth in the Premier League last season when most expected the Cherries to be relegated.
The Englishman had to cut short his playing career due to a spate of injuries but he had represented sides such as Swindon Town, Portsmouth and Bournemouth, whom he is managing at the moment.
Eddie had been even linked with the England job but that was taken up by Sam Allardyce but maybe this could be the perfect break for the 38-year-old.
Arsenal and Arsene Wenger would part ways only when the French manager decides to leave the club and that should give Eddie a few more years to hone his skill. Wenger might not have been as young as Eddie when he took over Arsenal but the Englishman has a lot of respect for the job done by the French manager.
Speaking ahead of the game last season between the two sides, Eddie was quoted by Sky Sports:
“I think you can learn a lot just analysing what he has done and how he has done it and there are certain principals – he is very strong to his beliefs and how he believes football should be played.”
It is that kind of belief that he has in his team and his signings that seem to have worked for him during his two stints in the job at Bournemouth. Howe was able to lead the Cherries to two promotions in two years in a fraction of the budget that some of the Championship sides also have.
His team also plays a decent brand of football and it isn’t all hoof ball, the funny thing is that two of their best players and most creative ones were injured for large chunks of the season, had they been fit, Max Gradel especially, the side would certainly have finished way higher than the 16th place in the Premier League.
Howe is a bright young manager and his team isn’t built around one superstar but it functions as one unit. That might not be something that Arsenal fans are used to but Howe has proved that his technique works, at least for now.
The 38-year-old might not be the manager who has won a lot of trophies or has had to deal with big egos but it does take some quality to win the Football League manager of the decade award for the years between 2005-2015, not bad for someone who still hasn’t even managed for more than 10 years in his career.
Howe is the second longest serving manager in England, just behind Arsene Wenger and when the Frenchman does retire, the Englishman would be perfect for the job.
“I am full of respect for Arsene”, said the Englishman, well it could be time for others to start respecting Howe when he does move to a bigger club.