Arsene Wenger will not be heading to Paris St Germain in the summer.
It has been widely reported that Carlo Ancelotti will quit the French capital at the end of the current season, in order to succeed Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid. The Italian coach has only been in the hotseat at PSG since December 2011, and he looks certain to end his tenure with a Ligue 1 title to add to those he won in Italy and England.
Ancelotti won one Serie A and two UEFA Champions Leagues with Milan, and the Premier League and FA Cup double in his first season at Chelsea. Although the 53-year-old remains under contract in Paris for another year, it is thought they are unlikely to block his path to the Bernabeu should, as expected, Los Blancos come calling.
PSG had hoped to appoint Wenger as their new coach ahead of next season, in what would have been one of the biggest coups of the summer. Although the French coach has not added to Arsenal’s honours list for eight years, he remains one of the most respected coaches in European football having won 11 trophies since arriving in England in 1996.
The Gunners are on course for yet another top-four finish in the Premier League, but after again going without silverware, some pundits and even fans have questioned how long Wenger can continue at the club. However, he remains under contract until 2014, and when asked of his future, the 63-year-old replied: “I answered that question already. I respect my contracts. Football excites me…my love for this club excites me.”
There is still every chance PSG could turn to Mourinho. Although the Portuguese coach is widely expected to make an emotional return to Chelsea, nothing has yet been confirmed. And with the French club able to hand the 50-year-old a handsome salary and plenty of cash in the transfer market, he could well be tempted by such an offer.
