Arsenal: Head coaching hiring decisiveness necessary

After firing Unai Emery, Arsenal are looking for a new head coach. While rushing the decision would be disastrous, they must also act decisively.

Over the coming weeks, Arsenal face the third-biggest decision of the past two decades, behind hiring Unai Emery and moving to the Emirates Stadium. Following the sacking of Emery last week, they must appoint a new head coach, hopefully a more successful one than the Spaniard.

Find the latest episode of the Pain in the Arsenal Podcast here — Emergency: Unai Emery sacked

The process through which they will make this decision is vital. Will Raul Sanllehi rely on his contracts and tentacled relationships? Will certain characteristics be prioritised over others? What about the interviews, how will they be conducted?

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At the heart of the uncertainty regarding the Gunners’ decision-making process is time. They have only hired one manager since 1996 and given the nature of Arsene Wenger’s departure and the timeframe it was conducted over, there was plenty of time for the club to ensure that they got the right man.

But this time, the club is not afforded the same opportunity to be patient. That does not mean that they have rush into a decision, and, in fact, I have outlined why I think it would be a massive error if they simply hired the first person who is available rather than the best. But it does require them to be decisive. They cannot afford to dally, as they have been known to do previously.

There are several reasons for this, but chief among them is the potential of missing out on an excellent candidate. Tottenham Hotspur in replacing Mauricio Pochettino with Jose Mourinho because they did not want to miss out on the latter. Liverpool sacked Brendan Rodgers precisely because they saw a rare opportunity to hire Jurgen Klopp.

There are several excellent managerial candidates potentailly available for the club to pursue. Massimiliano Allegri is without a job, Pochettino might be convinced to cross the north London divide, while Mikel Arteta is much more likely to prised away from Manchester City before he succeeds than Pep Guardiola than after.

Moreover, there are teams circling to hire these managers. Everton have been strongly linked to Arteta, another one of his former clubs, while Bayern Munich are also on the search for a new head coach, with Pochettino most strongly rumoured to be a potential target. Throw in Manchester United who are seemingly on the verge of moving on from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and suddenly you have quite the crowded market.

There are other factors. The longer the delay is, the longer the team is in limbo. The top four is slipping away with every dropped point, and if Freddie Ljungberg does not work out, it will only become a decreasing possibility. Players’ contracts are running down and all negotiations will be shelved until a new manager is in place. The January transfer market is impossible to master without a head coach analysing the needs of the squad.

This is not an excuse to rush into any manager who is available. It is still better to take your time but get the right man. But Arsenal must be decisive. They cannot afford to dally, because if they do, they will only make things harder for themselves.