Most Popular Sports
All Sports
Show All

Paper Round: Four more years for Arsene Wenger, but will they be at Arsenal?

Alexander Netherton

Updated 19/02/2017 at 08:36 GMT

Wenger wants four more years of management, Pochettino is lined up for Barcelona, Guardiola and Aguero have another argument, and everyone praises Lincoln.

Arsenal's French midfielder Francis Coquelin (L) and Arsenal's French headcoach Arsene Wenger (R) speak together during the UEFA Champions League round of sixteen football match between FC Bayern Munich and Arsenal in Munich, southern Germany, on February

Image credit: AFP

Wenger: Four more years

In a press conference before the FA Cup game against Sutton United on Monday evening, Arsene Wenger said he could maybe do, 'four more years,' with Arsenal but hinted that he has had interest from other clubs. Wenger is under pressure after another European failure, but said that, “I don’t want to talk about possible offers from other clubs because this press conference should be about our next game - not about me.”
"My preference is always to manage Arsenal and I have shown that. But I think that I am adult enough to analyse the situation.”
Paper Round's view: Wenger has had 21 years at Arsenal, but is plainly acknowledging that things have to change for him and the club. Either he needs to win a trophy, or go somewhere else to try his hand at a new task. Wenger will have plenty of offers across the world, and you can imagine that he would be tempted back to France, or to become a national manager. Wenger would be a serious option for any major club that needed a proven manager who provided attractive football.

Barcelona line up Pochettino

Barcelona are still reeling from their defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, and Luis Enrique has said that even he doesn't know if he wants to carry on at the club beyond the end of the season. Barcelona have been rumoured to be looking at a replacement, and the latest name mentioned by the Sunday Express is Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino, who played for and managed local rivals Espanyol.
Paper Round's view: Pochettino would surely be tempted by the offer. He has a contract that runs until 2021, but he would need to be pragmatic. To establish Spurs as the best side in the Premier League would take fortune, money and skill. To do the same at Barcelona in Spain would require much less of all those qualities. Pochettino would surely take the opportunity if offered - it is rare for managers to get the chance to manage a club like Barcelona.

Aguero in new row with Guardiola

The Mail goes with a story of another disagreement between Pep Guardiola and Sergio Aguero. There have long been rumours that Aguero will be let go by Guardiola in the summer as he moves to a more traditional, false nine striker. The Mail said that Aguero looked 'disinterested' with running and pressing against Huddersfield, leading to an on-pitch exchange of views between the two.
Paper Round's view: This story is a stretch. Every manager and player will shout at one another on the pitch, and unless something really unforgiveable is said, it won't make the slightest difference to the club in the long run. It would be foolish to read too much into this latest argument for that reason, but it does otherwise appear that Aguero is not key to Guardiola's plans as soon as Gabriel Jesus recovers. Aguero will never make himself into a typical Guardiola striker.

Lincoln make history

Lincoln make all the papers today after their 1-0 victory over Burnley, at Turf Moor, that sent them into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. They matched Burnley for committment, aggression, and passion, but pressed and tackled relentlessly. It wasn't a stroke of fortune, say the Telegraph, but a result achieved by hard work and Burnley's failure to take the advantages afforded to the favourites, and the unusual circumstance of dominating possession.
Paper Round's view: Lincoln achieved a famous victory against Burnley, and it demonstrates how clubs without the quality to match more talented sides can still force a result. Because the FA Cup goads Premier League teams into resting their best players, teams like Lincoln can shock opponents and catch them cold and off-guard. This might not be their last giant-killing in the tournament.
Join 3M+ users on app
Stay up to date with the latest news, results and live sports
Download
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement