Arsenal: Unai Emery no comparison to Massimiliano Allegri

Arsenal are reportedly wanting to interview Unai Emery for their manager’s role. The former PSG manager, though, is no comparison to Massimiliano Allegri, the other European heavyweight that the Gunners have considered.

When it was announced that Arsene Wenger would leave Arsenal at the end of the season and the beginnings of the potential candidates were formed, there was a clear categorising of the names. Almost all of the possible appointments were one of two types.

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You had the young, up-and-coming, modern, exciting but risky coach. Julian Nagelsmann, Eddie Howe, Mikel Arteta, who is now the favourite for the job, Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry. This was, incidentally, also the category that housed many of the former players that were linked with the role.

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And then you had the established, proven, high-profile European options: Carlo Ancelotti, Luis Enrique, Thomas Tuchel, Joachim Low. And of this group of potential new managers, there was one that stood head and shoulders above all of the others. Massimiliano Allegri, who had just won his fourth successive domestic double with Juventus, was the cream of the crop. And it wasn’t especially close.

But now that the search has entered its closing stages and many of the names have either dropped out of contention or who have ruled themselves out of the job by staying in their current roles or accepting new positions, it seemed as though Arsenal had settled on Arteta and the coach-style manager. At least, that was until this weekend when rumours of former Paris Saint-Germain and Sevilla manager Unai Emery coming to north London to conduct an interview began to circulate.

The Gunners are reportedly enamoured with Emery’s work in Seville when he lifted three successive Europa Leagues with a team that was managed on a shoestring budget, making them far more competitive than their finances would have indicated. That, obviously, is something that attracts the board of a club that are attempting to rival organisations that have three or four times the transfer and wage budgets.

From that perspective, there is clearly reason to like the appointment of Emery, even if his tactical and man-management skills at PSG were somewhat exposed, especially in the Champions League, which was why he was eventually replaced by Tuchel this summer. But if Arsenal really wanted to go down the experienced European route, then Emery is not the manager that they should be looking at.

Allegri is by far and away the strongest candidate. Five Serie A titles, four Coppa Italia’s, two Champions League final appearances and the most prominent thorn in Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid’s side over the past five years. Juventus have been an unquestioned member of Europe’s elite throughout Allegri’s reign. Emery does not come close.

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I have stated my belief that Arsenal want a more modern approach, with a younger, culture-changing, enthused manager at the helm. I still believe that to be true and I do not think that Emery is a serious candidate. But if he is, then it does not make much sense. If the club did want a European winner, then they had Allegri in the palm of the hand. Emery hardly compares.