Garde is the man bottom of the table Villa want to replace sacked boss Tim Sherwood.

But there is currently deadlock over Garde's demand for his former coaching staff to join him from Lyon.

But his old Arsenal boss has said he would be a fool not to take the job.

"It's a big challenge for him but it's a big opportunity," said Wenger, who signed the former midfielder in 1996.

"You do not get 20 opportunities to come to England and at the moment, in Europe, you find 250 managers who want to come to England. He should just take it."

Wenger revealed former Gunners chief executive Tom Fox, now top dog at Villa had contacted him for the low down on Garde.

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Wenger said: "He texted me. I think they met Remi with the chairman (Randy Lerner) and they made their opinion."

Villa's caretaker boss Kevin MacDonald has been told to prepare the team for Monday night's game at Tottenham but said he wouldn't be surprised if Garde was in the stands at White Hart Lane.

MacDonald said: "All I've been told is to prepare the team. Whether Remi has been given the position and be in the stand by then I don't know."

Meanwhile, Wenger has hit back at claims his methods are to blame for Arsenal's dismal injury record.

Arsenal are stretched for today's trip to Swansea with eight players on the injured list.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (hamstring) and Theo Walcott (calf) are the latest crocks after coming off early in Tuesday's Capital One Cup defeat at Sheffield Wednesday.

WANTED: Remi Garde could join Aston Villa

Dutch fitness guru and former Wales coach Raymond Verheijen claimed this week that Wenger's outdated training regime is at fault.

"This guy looks like he knows absolutely everything," said Wenger.

"I'm amazed that he knows more than all our physics and all our doctors.

"I trust the medical staff to do well and my coaching staff to do the fitness planning very well.

"I can only invite you one day to see what work is done and we have some players who are more injury prone than others.

"It's like in life, why does he catch the flu and him not? You have to accept that medically we are not all even."