Appreciation of Le Professeur Arsene Wenger has grown in stature since he finally left his beloved Arsenal after a monumental 22 years at the helm,
Speculation was rife earlier on in the season with rumours of an Italian job, with AC Milan heavily linked to acquiring Wenger’s special set of skills, which Wenger eventually disregarded.
The animosity and – indeed – vitriol Wenger’s tenure began to generate in his final few seasons, not to mention the divisiveness in the Gooner fanbase has since dissipated, thanks in part to the relative success his ‘heir’ Unai Emery has started to bring to the club.
After seven months out of the management game, and doing the rounds on the punditry circuit, Qatar may be ready to offer Wenger a route back into football. As the country gears up to hosting the World Cup in three years time – with the unenviable job of both attempting to surpass Russia’s recent success and the discontent that greeted Qatar’s appointment as host – they’re looking to recruit a manager of a high pedigree to take control of the national team, and Wenger’s name fits the bill.
France Football reports than the 69-year-old Frenchman is ‘still waiting for a new challenge’ which the Qatar national team would most certainly pose.
The Maroons are currently competing in rival state the United Arab Emirates in the Asian Cup under coach Felix Sanchez Bas, who has been in contract since summer 2017.
Whether Wenger would indeed like to be associated with a country whose human rights record continues to generate deserved criticism, remains to be seen. Former Real Madrid man Zinedine Zidane and ex-Monaco manager Leonardo Jardim also remain names in frame.
It would be only Wenger’s fifth job in football management across a 35-year career. In over two decades at Arsenal, he helped the club collect 10 of the most prestigious pieces of silverware; three Premier League titles and a incredible haul of seven FA Cups.