Former Arsenal star Paul Merson has urged the club to replace current manager Unai Emery with former Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers.
Arsenal have been advised to get rid of manager Unai Emery and replace him with Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers by former midfielder Paul Merson, as reported by the Mirror.
Arsenal have had an inconsistent start to the season that has seen Emery come under a lot of pressure from all quarters. The Gunners have often looked toothless in attack despite boasting immense quality in their ranks, while things have hardly improved on the defensive front under the Spaniard.
Twelve games into the season, Arsenal find themselves in the sixth place in the Premier League table, already eight points below fourth-placed Manchester City. The Gunners have won just one of their last six matches across all competitions.
In contrast, Leicester have progressed immensely since Rodgers took over the reins at the club. This past weekend, the Foxes defeated Arsenal 2-0 courtesy goals from Jamie Vardy and James Maddison, following which they climbed to the second spot in the Premier League standings.
And ex-Arsenal star Paul Merson believes that his former employers would stand to benefit greatly from bringing Rodgers into the fold and has urged them to go all out to try and sign the former Liverpool and Celtic manager. Speaking on Sky Sports, as quoted by the Mirror, he said, “I think he’s [Rodgers] one of the best in the business.”
“If I was Arsenal, I would have been ringing Leicester up and saying, ‘how much do you want?’. If you’re going to pay £72 million for a winger [Pepe] that hasn’t played in the Premier League and has played in the French league, I would pay £40 million for him tomorrow morning.”
“I would say Arsenal [would be a good fit for Rodgers]. Arsenal or Tottenham . I wouldn’t get rid of Pochettino, don’t get me wrong, I think he’s different class. I think them two teams will be looking at him.”
“For me, if you’re going to bring Brendan Rodgers in and what he’s done with the teams he has been at like Swansea, Celtic, Liverpool and now Leicester, you give him a six-year plan and let him do what he wants to do. He improves players.”
Rodgers, who is contracted with Leicester till 2022, has done a great job since taking over the reins at the club in February earlier this year. It is not hard to see why Merson has urged Arsenal to bring him in to replace Emery, who is under a huge amount of pressure. However, the Gunners’ board, for now, have thrown their weight behind the Spaniard amid calls for his sacking.
