Ashley Cole backs his former Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti to succeed at Arsenal as he heads the betting to replace Unai Emery: ‘I definitely think he would do a great job there’
- Ashley Cole believes Carlo Ancelotti could be the man to turn Arsenal around
- The Italian is one of the leading candidates to take over at the Emirates Stadium
- Arsenal sacked manager Unai Emery last month after a poor start to the season
- Ancelotti left Napoli on Wednesday and is very much in the frame to take over
- Cole played under Ancelotti at Chelsea and won the 2009-10 Premier League
Ashley Cole believes his former Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti could be the man to turn Arsenal around, with the Italian the bookies’ favourite to succeed Unai Emery.
Ancelotti was sacked by Napoli on Wednesday, boosting Arsenal’s chances of securing one of the most successful managers in world football.
The Gunners parted company with Emery last month after a woeful run of form and are currently hunting for a new manager with former player Freddie Ljungberg taking interim charge of first-team matters.
Ashley Cole believes ex-Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti could be the man to turn Arsenal around
Cole, speaking at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, backed the Italian to turn the Gunners around
But Cole, who played under Ancelotti for two years at Stamford Bridge and won the Premier League and FA Cup Double under him, has backed the 60-year-old to be the man to turn Arsenal around.
He said: ‘I think he would bring togetherness. I’ve spoken about him a lot in terms of not just how good he was on the pitch but in terms of being a friend and someone that isn’t always serious. You have to go out on the training pitch and have a laugh.
‘You have to enjoy what you’re doing and he brought that in training sessions with his coaching staff but then when we went to games he would give you that love and a push and the understanding of what it means to win games.
‘He’s won so much in his career as a player and a coach so he’s someone that when he talks everybody listens. I think it would be great if he went to Arsenal.’
Ancelotti is one of the most decorated managers in football. He has won league titles as a manager in Italy, England, France and Germany, as well as the Champions League three times.
Ancelotti is in demand by both Arsenal and Everton after being sacked as manager of Napoli
Cole played for Ancelotti for two years at Stamford Bridge and they won the Premier League
The pair are pictured celebrating a 3-0 Chelsea win over Arsenal in the league back in 2009
Asked if Ancelotti could get a better job elsewhere, Cole insisted the lure of Arsenal should be good enough to attract him.
‘I don’t think Arsenal is a step down for anyone to be honest,’ Cole added. ‘It’s still a big club. Yes they’ve not won a lot in past seasons but I think their starting XI is definitely good enough.
‘Maybe the defence, for me, needs to defend more but they’ve definitely got the quality and attacking threat.
‘If they just address the defensive issues and have a little bit more of a structure and philosophy in how to play with the ball and without it then I definitely think Carlo would do a great job there.’
Nissan are proud partners of the UEFA Champions League. UEFA ambassador Ashley Cole was at the Chelsea v Lille match on Tuesday December 10, along with the UEFA Champions League Trophy, which is being driven around the UK by the next generation Nissan Juke. Click here to find out more about the Nissan Juke.
