Uncertainty surrounding the future of Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger – and speculation over who might succeed him – has escalated following their 3-0 loss to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.
With the Frenchman's position set to be reviewed at the end of the season, four names have emerged as leading candidates to replace him. Here's the lowdown.
Read more:Could a robot replace Arsene Wenger? The growing presence of artificial intelligence in football
Leonardo Jardim
Jardim was named manager of the season in France's Ligue 1 last year as his Monaco side outperformed super-rich Paris Saint-Germain (Source: Getty)
Who? Monaco manager who led a dazzling young side to the Champions League semi-finals last season.
Age: 43
CV: Camacha, Chaves, Beira-Mar, Braga, Olympiacos, Sporting Lisbon, Monaco.
Need to know: Like Wenger before he arrived in north London, Jardim's most impressive achievement to date is winning the French league title with Monaco. Jardim never played football professionally and instead started his coaching career at 27, working his way up the ladder in his native Portugal before moving to Olympiacos where he won the Greek league and cup double.
Mikel Arteta
Arteta has learned from the best under Guardiola, but has no experience of the top job himself (Source: Getty)
Who? Former Arsenal captain and now a Manchester City assistant coach.
Age: 35.
CV: One of Pep Guardiola's right-hand men at City since retiring almost two years ago, but no management experience.
Need to know: A popular figure among Arsenal fans, having made 149 appearances for the Gunners as a midfielder in the final years of his career. He turned down a coaching role under Wenger at Arsenal and a similar position at Tottenham for the chance to work with Guardiola at City, where his reputation has grown.
Brendan Rodgers
Rodgers' stock has steadily risen at Celtic, but he failed to win a trophy when in charge at Liverpool (Source: Getty)
Who? Celtic manager who came close to delivering the Premier League at Liverpool.
Age: 45
CV: Chelsea (youth and reserve team coach), Watford, Reading, Swansea City, Liverpool, Celtic.
Need to know: Rodgers turned Swansea City into an established Premier League side known for playing attractive passing football before being appointed Liverpool manager in 2012. The Reds had finished eighth the previous season and within two years were a whisker away from their first league title for 24 years. Yet after losing Luis Suarez, Rodgers was unable to repeat the feat and was sacked in October 2015 with his side 10th. He has rebuilt his reputation at Celtic where his team broke numerous records while winning the treble last season.
Read more:Wenger is a genius but is not the man England need to end decades of underachievement
Joachim Low
The World Cup winner has been one of the most successful international coaches in the last decade (Source: Getty)
Who? World Cup-winning German national team coach.
Age: 58
CV: Playing career in Germany's top two divisions, then coach ofFC Frauenfeld, VfB Stuttgart, Fenerbahce, Karlsruher SC, Adanaspor, Tirol Innsbruck, Austria Wien, Germany (assistant), Germany.
Need to know: The central figure in Germany's football revolution that led to their 2014 World Cup triumph. He provided the craft to Jurgen Klinsmann's charisma as assistant in Germany's 2006 campaign, before taking over the top job and steering his team to the semi-finals or final in each of the last five major tournaments. As a club manager he enjoyed cup success with Stuttgart but has only won a league title once, with Austria's Tirol Innsbruck in 2002.
Uncertainty surrounding the future of Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger – and speculation over who might succeed him – has escalated following their 3-0 loss to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.
With the Frenchman's position set to be reviewed at the end of the season, four names have emerged as leading candidates to replace him. Here's the lowdown.
Read more:Could a robot replace Arsene Wenger? The growing presence of artificial intelligence in football
Leonardo Jardim
Jardim was named manager of the season in France's Ligue 1 last year as his Monaco side outperformed super-rich Paris Saint-Germain (Source: Getty)
Who? Monaco manager who led a dazzling young side to the Champions League semi-finals last season.
Age: 43
CV: Camacha, Chaves, Beira-Mar, Braga, Olympiacos, Sporting Lisbon, Monaco.
Need to know: Like Wenger before he arrived in north London, Jardim's most impressive achievement to date is winning the French league title with Monaco. Jardim never played football professionally and instead started his coaching career at 27, working his way up the ladder in his native Portugal before moving to Olympiacos where he won the Greek league and cup double.
Mikel Arteta
Arteta has learned from the best under Guardiola, but has no experience of the top job himself (Source: Getty)
Who? Former Arsenal captain and now a Manchester City assistant coach.
Age: 35.
CV: One of Pep Guardiola's right-hand men at City since retiring almost two years ago, but no management experience.
Need to know: A popular figure among Arsenal fans, having made 149 appearances for the Gunners as a midfielder in the final years of his career. He turned down a coaching role under Wenger at Arsenal and a similar position at Tottenham for the chance to work with Guardiola at City, where his reputation has grown.
Brendan Rodgers
Rodgers' stock has steadily risen at Celtic, but he failed to win a trophy when in charge at Liverpool (Source: Getty)
Who? Celtic manager who came close to delivering the Premier League at Liverpool.
Age: 45
CV: Chelsea (youth and reserve team coach), Watford, Reading, Swansea City, Liverpool, Celtic.
Need to know: Rodgers turned Swansea City into an established Premier League side known for playing attractive passing football before being appointed Liverpool manager in 2012. The Reds had finished eighth the previous season and within two years were a whisker away from their first league title for 24 years. Yet after losing Luis Suarez, Rodgers was unable to repeat the feat and was sacked in October 2015 with his side 10th. He has rebuilt his reputation at Celtic where his team broke numerous records while winning the treble last season.
Read more:Wenger is a genius but is not the man England need to end decades of underachievement
Joachim Low
The World Cup winner has been one of the most successful international coaches in the last decade (Source: Getty)
Who? World Cup-winning German national team coach.
Age: 58
CV: Playing career in Germany's top two divisions, then coach ofFC Frauenfeld, VfB Stuttgart, Fenerbahce, Karlsruher SC, Adanaspor, Tirol Innsbruck, Austria Wien, Germany (assistant), Germany.
Need to know: The central figure in Germany's football revolution that led to their 2014 World Cup triumph. He provided the craft to Jurgen Klinsmann's charisma as assistant in Germany's 2006 campaign, before taking over the top job and steering his team to the semi-finals or final in each of the last five major tournaments. As a club manager he enjoyed cup success with Stuttgart but has only won a league title once, with Austria's Tirol Innsbruck in 2002.
