Arsenal: Why a coach, not a manager, might be best

Arsenal are looking for a new manager. But, it might be the case that would be better served in looking for a new coach. Here’s why.

Arsenal have begun their search for a new manager. It is a strange and peculiar feeling, given that the last time they searched for a new manager, I was two and have utterly no recollection of that process, and no one really knows what the club wants in a manager, other than the character traits that Arsene Wenger has displayed this season.

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And so, the Gunners look to make their most important appointment for over two decades and no one really knows what kind of individual they want.

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It is very odd. That said, in the names that have surfaced throughout the search, there is one common theme that may concern the more traditional-thinking fans: the club seems to be looking towards a coach, not a manager.

That is obviously the structure that professional football clubs tend to implement in the modern era: a Chief Executive, Chief Scout and Director of Football that run the contractual and personnel side of the club; a head coach that delves into the on-pitch details, focusing on the tactics on the pitch and the development of the players that are provided to him.

And it is possible that Arsenal are looking to implement a similar structure now that the all-powerful, all-involved Wenger is no longer at the club. The likes of Mikel Arteta, Zeljko Buvac and Julian Nagelsmann are younger prospects renowned for their coaching as much as their management.

But it may not actually be a bad thing, even though it is a system that is somewhat frowned upon, especially in this country.

You see, Arsenal are not going to heavily invest in the squad. Even though their financial records are consistently healthy and growing, they are not the club who will rival the likes of Manchester City and United in the transfer window. They are happy to spend on the right player, but they will not be dishing out £200 million on new players.

Instead, as Gazidis hinted at in his press conference after Wenger’s initial announcement, there is a crop of young talents already in the squad that have the quality to become top-quality Premier League contributors if their development and progression is handled and coached smartly and correctly.

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There is an argument that Arsenal would be better with a coach, not a manager. That may be a risk, that may be a step into the modern that some are hesitant to make, but it may also be the best course of action.