Following the announcement of the imminent departure of Arsene Wenger, Arsenal have set the wheels in motion trying hard to find a proper replacement for the legendary head coach. The Gunners have already been highly linked with the likes of Thomas Tuchel, Julian Nagelsmann, Lucien Favre amongst many others.
However, according to sources from ESPN, the North-London giants are considering a move for Shakhtar Donetsk manager Paulo Fonseca.
The Portuguese mastermind, who has played a critical role in Shakhtar’s dominance in Ukrainian football in the past couple of years, is lauded as one of the promising young managers across Europe at the moment. In fact, the 45-year-old has also drawn interest from Arsenal’s Premier League rivals Everton, who are apparently looking for a successor for Sam Allardyce.
Having done a sensational job during his time with SC Braga in Portugal, Paulo Fonseca was appointed as the Shakhtar Donetsk head coach at the start of the 2016/17 season. Since then, the Himyky have enjoyed unprecedented success, especially on the domestic front.
Fonseca helped Shakhtar seal the Ukrainian Premier Liga title by a whopping 13 points margin during his first season at the club.
This season, the Portuguese has managed to continue his side’s impressive performance in the league, as they are leading second-placed Dynamo Kiev by six points and are pretty much expected to land their second consecutive title under Fonseca.
Therefore, the 45-year-old is certainly someone who knows how to perform on the domestic front, something which Arsenal have lacked in recent years. Even though the Premier League is a totally different ballgame compared to its Ukrainian counterpart, Fonseca’s appointment will certainly promise to improve Arsenal’s performances in the league.
In addition, Paulo Fonseca is widely admired for his attacking brand of football, which has already caught attention across Europe. He guided Shakhtar to a rather impressive Round of 16 finish in the UEFA Champions League this season, largely thanks to his intriguing gameplay, which is definitely an improvement over the previous head coach Mircea Lucescu.
His attacking football will make it easier for the Arsenal players to integrate into Fonseca’s system, considering the fact that Arsene Wenger too, focuses on attacking and possession-based football.
Shakhtar Donetsk, reluctant to let go of their Portuguese head coach, have already taken steps in order to lengthen his stay at Ukraine as they look to ward off interest from other clubs.
Fonseca’s current contract with the club expires at the end of the season, meaning he will definitely move on, should Arsenal present themselves with an intriguing offer.
