UK Edition
Sir Alex Ferguson chairs Uefa Elite Coaches Forum - but where is Arsene Wenger?
It is that time of year when a select group of managers gather in Switzerland for the Uefa Elite Coaches Forum, and this time Sir Alex Ferguson had the honour of chairing the event.
Another former Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal was in attendance, as well as the current one Jose Mourinho, who replaced van Gaal at Old Trafford after the Dutchman was abruptly dismissed.
However, a striking feature of the Nyon event was the absence of beleaguered Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, typically a fixture at the forum (and usually sat as far from Mourinho as possible).
Arsenal's 4-0 defeat at Liverpool, the result of a performance Wenger described as 'disastrous', has the Frenchman scrambling to save their season from sliding into catastrophe.
Critics will scoff that manager with neither a league title in 13 years nor a European trophy is classed as 'elite', but Wenger meets the criteria for an invite because he has managed more than 100 Champions League matches.
Arsenal fans might take his absence as a sign that Wenger is working tirelessly on transfers, though there could well be a more prosaic explanation for not making the trip - Pep Guardiola was also not there.
Wenger famously managed a team in a charity match in Rome on Deadline Day 2014, when Arsenal snapped up Danny Welbeck in a £16 million deal.
If Wenger is working on prospective deals, the focus is likely to be on outgoings rather than incomings. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain rejected a move to Chelsea after the two sides agreed a fee, so Liverpool have entered the fray.
Moreover, Manchester City are expected to return with an improved bid for Alexis Sanchez after their £50m offer was rejected, while Shkodran Mustafi is subject to a loan move by Inter Milan.
Despite calls from fans to add to the squad in central midfield and central defence, Arsenal have kept their powder dry since breaking their transfer record for Alexander Lacazette earlier this summer.