Bayern Munich eyeing Arsene Wenger as Niko Kovac replacement

According to multiple reports from the German media, Bayern Munich have their eye on Arsene Wenger as a potential Niko Kovac replacement.

Bayern Munich are in a chaotic situation at the moment, with their recent results being far from acceptable. The defending champions surrendered a two-goal lead against Fortuna Dusseldorf over the weekend to fall further behind Borussia Dortmund in the title race. They are now fifth in the Bundesliga table, nine points off the league leaders.

Niko Kovac’s job is currently on the line, and the club is likely to make a decision about his future later this week. Uli Hoeness confirmed after Saturday’s match that Kovac would be the coach against Benfica on Tuesday but failed to give any further reassurances.

According to the latest report from Sport Bild, Bayern wants Arsene Wenger to replace the Croatian as manager. Wenger is a fluent German speaker, and his man management method is likely to get the best out of this under-performing Bayern squad.

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There has been a similar report in Monday’s Kicker (via Goal) about Bayern’s interest in hiring Wenger. This outlet further adds that Zinedine Zidane is also under consideration for the role. Zidane has previously stated that he wants to stay away from a managerial job for one year, though, while Wenger has insisted that he would like to start a new job by January.

Wenger has been without a job since ending his 22-year-long association with Arsenal earlier this year. The Frenchman is known for nurturing young talent and getting the best out of them. His teams also usually play an attractive style of play. Wenger can make a similar impact as Jupp Heynckes did last season. However, the Frenchman would likely be interested in a longer contract, rather than joining on an interim basis.

Kovac made a very promising start to life as manager at Bayern Munich. The Croatian won his first seven competitive games, including an impressive 5-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the DFL SuperCup. However, things started to go bad with a draw against Augsburg in September, and Bayern have dropped points on a regular basis since then.

The former Eintracht Frankfurt manager began putting together a string of victories after the second international break. However, the performances in these victories were far from convincing. The Bavarians have been leaking goals for fun under Kovac, as Manuel Neuer has kept just two clean sheets in the Bundesliga this season.

Uli Hoeness has publicly backed Niko Kovac on many occasions. However, after speaking to the media on Saturday the club president couldn’t guarantee Kovac’s position at the club. The Croatian manager will be in the dugout against Benfica on Tuesday, but he will likely need a convincing result to maintain his post much longer.