NUNO ESPIRITO SANTO has been tipped to replace Unai Emery at Arsenal but Gunners fans are not too happy about it.
Emery, 48, is under huge pressure at the Emirates after failing to win any of his last five league games.
Arsenal fans don’t feel Nuno Espirito Santo is the right man to replace Unai EmeryCredit: Getty
It’s left Arsenal eighth in the table, 19 points behind leaders Liverpool and eight points off the top four.
And the claws are out for Emery after Saturday’s 2-2 home draw against strugglers Southampton, with Alexandre Lacazette netting a 96th minute equaliser to spare Arsenal’s blushes.
Mauricio Pochettino has been linked with the Gunners after being sacked by North London rivals Spurs.
But he is expected to take charge of German champions Bayern Munich.
And Wolves boss Santo, 45, is the new favourite to replace Emery.
Should he ditch the Midlands side for London, Santo could help Arsenal secure deals for the likes of Ruben Neves and Willy Boly.
However, Gunners supporters are less than enthusiastic about the idea of Santo taking charge.
Despite Wolves being a point better off than Arsenal in the table, and also managing a draw at the Emirates earlier this month, fans don’t appear to think Santo is the right man for the job.
Current boss Emery has been fiercely criticised for his lack of playing identity and style, with Arsenal falling way short of the attacking football which was on display during Arsene Wenger’s tenure.
Santo is famous for adopting a five-man defence during his time in England.
And the tactician has shown little inclination to revert to a back four, despite switching between two and three attackers depending on how many numbers he needs in midfield.
Arsenal fans appear to think Santo will make the team even more defensive and organised, focused on carrying out swift counter-attacks rather than taking the game to opponents.
It has been pointed out that during Santo’s last game at Valencia in November 2015, a 1-0 defeat at Sevilla, his side failed to record a single shot, let alone a shot on target.
They also had just 38 per cent possession, while two players were shown red cards.
And Gooners seem to feel Santo will lead them down a dark road which ends with them permanently parking the bus.
That’s despite the Portuguese gaffer recording some impressive stats with his current side and former clubs.
Santo’s last game at Valencia may have ended poorly, but he still managed a 51.6 per cent win rate from 62 games during 18 months at the helm, picking up three La Liga Manager of the Month awards in the process.
His win rate at Porto was even higher at 55.1 per cent from 49 matches, while at Wolves that record is 54.5 from 123 fixtures.
Santo led the Molineux outfit to Premier League promotion just 18 months ago with an impressive 99 points while scoring 82 goals, leading them to be widely heralded as one of the best Championship sides of all time.
That season, Wenger’s last, Arsenal found the back of the net 74 times in the Premier League, while Emery’s men scored just 73 times last term.
Santo also played with a four-man defence before he arrived in England.
However, none of that has stopped Gunners fans from expressing their dismay at the links.
And they instead want a manager with the right “DNA” to replace Emery sooner rather than later, with one suggesting ex-players Patrick Vieira and Mikel Arteta.
They tweeted: “Nuno? Are we that desperate? We need someone who has Arsenal DNA” @OfficialVieira @m8arteta #WeAreTheArsenal.”
Another said: “Wolves have scored one more goal than Arsenal this season, completed 1000 less passes and kept just one more clean sheet, conceded three fewer and fourth worst possession the league.
“Nuno Santo isn’t the right man, this is nothing more than a favour from Raul (Sanhelli) to his pal Jorge Mendes.”
One wrote: “I like Santo a lot and think he’s excellent but I don’t think he should manage Arsenal.
“Wolves have been excellent against bigger teams and struggled against less sides – they lost twice to Huddersfield last season.”
Another noted: “Santo is a weird one. I love what he’s done with Wolves and he would be an upgrade on Emery.
“But his style of using three centre-backs, soaking up pressure and hitting on the counter is something we’ve seen Arsenal try and fail at massively this season.”
One added: “Santo favourite to take over after Emery? WTF?
“Wolves with their defensive football and counter attacks. That’s what we want now?
“What happened to Arsenal playing attacking and entertaining football?”
Adrian Durham says he cannot see a way forward for Unai Emery at Arsenal
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
