Report claims Kroenkes would like an ex-Arsenal player as new boss

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Arsenal are searching for a new manager after sacking Unai Emery.

According to the Daily Mail, Stan and Josh Kroenke would like to bring a former Arsenal player back to the club as their new manager.

Arsenal sacked Unai Emery at the end of November after a dismal run of form, and the search for his replacement is well and truly on.

A whole host of names have been linked with the job, but an appointment doesn’t seem imminent, with Freddie Ljungberg continuing his role as caretaker manager.

Now, it’s claimed that the Kroenkes have a specific idea in mind, as they see real value in appointing a former Arsenal player as Emery’s replacement.

That strengthens the case for Mikel Arteta and Patrick Vieira, two prominent names throughout Arsenal’s hunt for a new boss.

Arteta spent five years with Arsenal as a player, racking up 16 goals in 149 games for the Gunners before retiring and becoming Manchester City’s assistant manager under Pep Guardiola.

Arteta was popular, but doesn’t come close to Vieira in terms of popularity from their playing days. Vieira was the driving force of Arsene Wenger’s Invincibles side, winning three Premier League titles and three FA Cups.

Vieira is currently in charge of Nice, where he isn’t exactly pulling up trees, but the Kroenkes seemingly feel that bringing in a former player will help get fans back on side after an ugly end to the Emery era.

This plan does of course strengthen Ljungberg’s own case too, but he, Arteta and Vieira all have big question marks against them in terms of their suitability for such a big job, even if the Kroenkes think it would be the ideal move to please fans.