Arsenal manager candidate Luis Enrique's staggering wage demands risk wrecking his chances

[PHOTO: COURTESY]

Luis Enrique is in serious danger of pricing himself out of the Arsenal job.

Former Barcelona boss Enrique’s sky-high wage demands of £15million-a-year AFTER TAX - which would cost the Gunners in excess of £25m-a-year and dwarfs the outgoing Arsene Wenger's £8m annual salary - is one of the reasons they are looking at a younger option to fit into a revamped structure as a head coach rather than a manager.

Manchester City assistant Mikel Arteta, fellow former Gunners captain and New York City boss Patrick Vieira and Hoffenheim's Julian Nagelsmann are all on the short-list.

Arsenal want to present around five names to majority shareholder Stan Kroenke.

[PHOTO: COURTESY]

Jurgen Klopp’s long-term assistant Zeljko Buvac is being linked with the post following his sudden exit from Liverpool this week, but it is highly unlikely he would be seen as a serious managerial candidate.

However, he might be an option as part of the new-look coaching set-up as he still retains a strong relationship with head of recruitment Sven Mislintat from their time together at Borussia Dortmund.

Arsenal are likely to talk to potential backroom staff, especially if they do go down the head coach route, as there is likely to be a clear-out in the wake of Wenger’s departure this summer.

Current No 2 Steve Bould may well stay, along with some others, as he has strong support within the club.

Chief executive Ivan Gazidis is a big fan of 36-year-old Arteta, another former captain of the club, while Vieira, 41, might be more popular with the fan base.

They and Nagelsmann, 30, would all fit into the criteria of upholding Arsenal’s values and bringing through young players — especially in a climate when the club only has around £50m to spend on transfers this summer unless they sell existing stars.

Enrique is the leading big-name option and is being championed by head of football relations Raul Sanllehi, who was director of football at Barcelona.

But the worry remains around the cost of opting for the 47-year-old former Spain midfielder, especially as he would want to bring a big coaching staff with him.

Juventus coach Max Allegri and Monaco’s Leonardo Jardim are also on the short-list, while Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers is likely to be spoken to even though he appears to be distancing himself.

Wenger is being offered the general manager role at Paris Saint-Germain, but that may cause some crossover with the incoming Thomas Tuchel and his preference anyway is to carry on in day-to-day management.

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