Arsenal should not pick Eddie Howe to replace Arsene Wenger.
It seems that if you’re under 40, and your team’s style is easier on the eye than many, then that alone makes you an ideal candidate to replace Arsene Wenger at Arsenal.
The Frenchman, who celebrates 20 years as Gunners manager this month, is out of contract in North London next summer, and Bournemouth’s Eddie Howe is the latest man to be linked with succeeding him, according to The Sun.
But when Wenger does leave Arsenal, Howe should not be the man to fill his boots.
The Bournemouth boss, 38, may develop into a very fine manager one day, but until that day comes it is important for the Gunners to appoint a tried-and-tested figure.
If Arsenal want to continue being an elite club after Wenger leaves, then they need an elite manager to match – and Howe, who won the Championship with the Cherries in 2015, has nowhere near enough stripes to be given one of the biggest jobs in English football.
They need an experienced, decorated manager whose CV would impress board members at any major club in Europe. If not, what’s the point?
It is entirely possible that come May, Arsenal will be 13 years without winning the Premier League title; far too long for a club of its stature.
Do they want to extend that period in the hope that a manager of Howe’s ilk turns out to be the next big thing in English football, who will bring about a trophy-laden era?
Manchester United had similar hope when they appointed David Moyes, as did Chelsea and Tottenham upon hiring Andre Villas-Boas.
Hiring young managers with a fanciful idea of them being the next Jose Mourinho is a gamble which seldom pays off. Instead, Arsenal must play the percentages and put their money on a horse with a track record at a level in which they compete.
Howe, for the time being, is not that man.
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