Massimiliano Allegri not to replace Emery as Arsenal sack looms

As per reports, former Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri does not want to return to football until next summer since he left the Old Lady at the end of 2018-19 season. Allegri has been tipped to replace Unai Emery at Arsenal since the Arsenal manager has been subject to intense criticism following a string of disappointing results in the Barclays Premier League.

Allegri squashes all rumours

Allegri's decision to not take up a manager's job at the moment dismisses any chance of him joining the Gunners should the management decide to sack Emery following Arsenal's drab 2-2 draw against Southampton in a league match that was played at the Emirates Stadium.

According to reports, the former Juventus manager had talked to Arsenal when they were in the process of finding a replacement for long-term manager Arsene Wenger. However, the Gunners decided to appoint Emery as the manager owing to his success rate in the UEFA Europa League.

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Pochettino will be an ideal candidate

Former Arsenal player Paul Merson stated that Mauricio Pochettino will be an ideal candidate to take the gaffer's job. Merson said that the reason Pochettino should be appointed is because he did not win any silverware but considerably improved Tottenham as a team plus he is a manager with amazing credentials.

Merson also stated that the intensity of the rivalry between Arsenal and Tottenham is not the same anymore, adding that during his time it was considered a very big match. He further added that the declining popularity of the rivalry was because of the absence of home-grown players in both the teams.

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Merson further added that the club had the opportunity to sack Emery before the International Break but failed to pull the plug. He said that with a fixture against Southampton, Arsenal was under the illusion that they could be them but had their "dreams" shattered when they managed to salvage a 2-2 draw against a team that had lost 9-0 to Brendan Rodger's Leicester City.

The home crowd at the Emirates Stadium made it very evident that they wanted Emery to get sacked and now top officials at Arsenal have started looking for his potential replacement. However, the management has decided to give the Arsenal manager a few more games to prove his worth before they take the decision of firing him or not.

Arsenal's board is aware of the fact that it may prove difficult to lure top managers to their club in the middle of the season but they have a contingency plan in place as Freddie Ljungberg and Steve Bould could both be given the chance to be Arsenal's interim manager till the end of the season in case Emery's dismissal.

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(With inputs from agencies)