Next England manager: Arsenal need Arsene Wenger more than England, insists Wojciech Szczesny

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Gerry Co1 July 2016

Arsene Wenger would make a great England manager but Arsenal need him more, says Gunners goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.

Wenger is under consideration by the FA to succeed Roy Hodgson, who quit after England’s dismal showing at Euro 2016, and while Szczesny believes the Frenchman would do “great things” for the national team, the Pole does not want him to leave Arsenal.

Szczesny’s own involvement at Euro 2016 came to an end last night when Poland were beaten by Portugal on penalties in the quarter-finals.

The 26-year-old has also been away from England for a year, having joined Roma on loan soon after Petr Cech was signed from Chelsea last summer. Szczesny does not know whether his future lies at Emirates Stadium but he is certain that Arsenal must keep Wenger.

“I am sure he would be a great thing for England but my main interest is Arsenal and I hope it doesn’t happen, for the sake of Arsenal not for the sake of England,” he told Standard sport.

“England had a disappointing Euro 2016 and changes will be made but, hopefully, that will not affect our club. I hope it is something that will not happen because he is doing a fantastic job at Arsenal and I’d love to see him stay.”

Szczesny believes Arsenal can go one better than last season’s finish as runners-up to Leicester, even with Chelsea and the Manchester clubs hiring big-name managers and ready to spend this summer.

“That’s what we love about the Premier League, the competitiveness, so we can’t complain about it. Leicester fully deserved the title in what was an amazing story. Maybe it was a missed opportunity for Arsenal but they had a good go and came close.

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“It was disappointing for me to see as a fan but with the new signing [Granit] Xhaka and possibly one or two more, we can compete again.”

Szczesny does not think maintaining a top-four finish should be an aim in itself. “People have been saying for 20‑odd years that our place in the top four is under threat and we keep finishing there. But I don’t think that should be the goal for Arsenal. We should be aiming to win titles and I see a big opportunity next season.”

As for whether he will play a part in Arsenal’s challenge, he said: “I really don’t know. Now I have time to relax and think about my future.”

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