Arsene Wenger has dropped a big hint with regard to speculation about him being linked to the England job. He has just one more year remaining on his current contract with Arsenal FC.
Wenger has been linked with the England national team’s managerial job ever since the Three Lions suffered a defeat at the hands of minnows Iceland in the round of 16 stage of the ongoing 2016 European Championships in France.
Former England head coach Roy Hodgson, whose contract was coming to an end after the tournament anyway, resigned after his side’s unceremonious exit from the competition, leaving one of the hottest seats in international football.
However, the Arsenal boss still has another year to go on his current deal with the club, and revealed that he intends to see out his contract with the Gunners, before taking any further decisions.
“I have one more year to go with Arsenal and I have been with them for a long time. I have always respected all my contracts [throughout my career] and will continue to do that,” Wenger was quoted as saying on the Daily Mirror. “What will I do after that? Honestly, I don’t know.”
Although he remained cryptic about the future of his professional career, Wenger did go on to express his love for England, hinting at a possible managerial role with the Three Lions in the future.
“England is my second country. I was absolutely on my knees when England went out against Iceland. I couldn’t believe it,” said Wenger. “But when you watched the game you could sense, after 60 minutes, that the worst could happen. Did they panic or were they tired? I don’t know, but England couldn’t find an answer to what Iceland posed.”
Wenger has spent two decades in England as Arsenal manager, and is a much loved figure in North London, as he has guided the Gunners to being one of the best teams in the Premier League. The Frenchman has won six FA Cups and three Premier League titles with the Gunners during his reign. His side’s memorable unbeaten Premier League winning campaign in 2003/04 was the highlight of his career, as the Gunners completely swept the league.
Three league titles in 20 years, does not look good though, especially for a top team like Arsenal, and Wenger has come under the scanner for being more intent on bringing young stars to the fore rather than building a championship-winning squad. Thus, there could be some grave questions regarding whether Wenger would be the right man for the England job, as he has not been able to lead Arsenal to any major triumphs (besides the FA Cup) in more than a decade.
However, as the manager of the England national team, Wenger does not run the risk of losing key players to clubs with more money. Someone who has a track-record of recognising talented players when they are young always has an upper hand, especially as the head coach of a national team.
