- Paul Merson has warned managers about taking the Arsenal job
- The former Gunner believes it’s a huge task to replace Arsene Wenger
- Merson says the club could take five years to rebuild
- MORE: Arsenal almost certain to equal unwanted 16-year Premier League record vs Man City tonight
Former Arsenal star Paul Merson has warned whoever replaces Arsene Wenger as Gunners manager about how big a job it will be to get the club back to where it once was.
Arsenal are struggling at the moment after losing 3-0 to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final and facing a fight to get back into the top four after also missing out last season. They also face a daunting tie against AC Milan in the next round of the Europa League, which may represent their best hope of Champions League qualification for next season.
Understandably, Merson is pessimistic about Arsenal’s prospects even if they do now decide to replace Wenger and try someone new, as he feels it could take as long as five years to rebuild the club into what they once were.
The former England international also suggested it might not be such a tempting job for top coaches any longer as he doesn’t currently consider taking charge of Arsenal to be up there with the most glamorous positions in European football after their recent decline under Wenger.
‘There now has to be change and for whoever takes it now it was one of the top jobs in world football. It’s not the top job now,’ Merson told Sky Sports, as quoted by the Daily Star.
‘With what they need and how far they are behind, it’s going to take three, four, five years to catch back up and nowadays, managers get two or three years tops.
‘For me, I just don’t see how any new manager can see a job like that through. The change needed now has just become far too much.
‘The job is now a four-year plan to get back to anywhere near where they once were. It’s a very worrying situation.’
Things certainly look grim for Arsenal – is getting rid of Wenger even the easiest solution at this point?