Arsenal believe Barcelona connection has them in place to land Luis Enrique ahead of rivals Chelsea

Arsenal believe they would have the edge over Chelsea if they become involved in a tug-of-war for Luis Enrique.

Enrique is on Chelsea’s shortlist while the former Barcelona boss is also on Arsenal’s radar as they look to succeed Arsene Wenger this summer.

But, crucially, Arsenal’s head of football relations Raul Sanllehi has a link with Enrique from their days working together at the Nou Camp. Sanllehi joined Arsenal in February having been director of football at Barcelona.

Enrique, 47, is the most likely option for Arsenal, especially if they decide to go for a big name appointment with Monaco’s Leonardo Jardim, Celtic’s Brendan Rodgers and Germany coach Joachim Loew the other alternatives.

Enrique’s wage demands are likely to be a sticking point as he would want around £15m-a-year which would be new territory for Arsenal but Sanllehi clearly believes it is a hurdle they can overcome.

Arsenal may be tempted to go for a younger appointment with a head coach role to fit into the club’s new structure including Sanllehi and head of recruitment Sven Mislintat.

That would suit former Arsenal captain Mikel Arteta – now on Pep Guardiola’s coaching staff at Manchester City – while Hoffenheim boss Julian Nagelsmann is another name they are likely to want to speak to over the next few weeks.

 

The post Arsenal believe Barcelona connection has them in place to land Luis Enrique ahead of rivals Chelsea appeared first on GL Trends.