Arsene Wenger farewell LIVE: Huddersfield 0 Arsenal 1 as it happened

TEAM NEWS

David Ospina has been given the nod over No.1 goalkeeper Petr Cech - a big call, that.

Rob Holding insists he never considered looking elsewhere after putting to pen to paper on a two-year contract extension at Arsenal.

Holding agreed a new deal on Tuesday that will take his current deal to 2022, becoming the latest squad player to sign an extension after Mohamed Elneny and Mesut Ozil in recent weeks.

The 22-year-old has made 23 competitive appearances this season and 42 in total since joining from Bolton in July 2016. Holding’s involvement has often been in fits and starts though the young centre-back has made several impressive contributions, including a superb performance in the FA Cup Final win over Chelsea.

On more than one occasion since joining Holding has been given the chance to leave the club on loan but is convinced that he is in the right spot.

“I’m happy to sign for an extra two years,” he said. “It gives me a bit of time to get more experience and build a place in the team.

“Why would you want to go somewhere else? You’re at Arsenal, you want to make it there. Other clubs, you’re not interested in. You want to make it at Arsenal.”

Holding has made just seven Premier League starts this season but played all bar 45 minutes of Arsenal’s Europa League group stage campaign.

However he noted that the experience of working alongside veterans Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker, who will retire at the end of the season to take over Arsenal’s academy, had helped improve his game.

“I’ve matured from a young boy to a man by doing the right things off the pitch to help me on the pitch,” Holding added.

“Just the experience of being around veteran players and full international players, that rubs off on you. You mirror what they do.

“I’ve worked with Per [Mertesacker] for two years and he’s been massive for me.

“I’ll be sad to see him go, he’ll be missed in the changing room. But I’ve got to see it as an opportunity, that’s the only way I can look at it. I’ve got to crack on and secure a place in the first team.”

PAPER TALK

Luis Enrique could be dealt a blow to his hopes of becoming the next Arsenal manager as the club are reluctant to pay as much as Arsene Wenger's £8.5million-a-year deal, according to the Daily Mail.

The paper says Enrique, one of the leading candidates to replace Wenger, wants a deal worth £15million a year. But the Gunners are said to be apprehensive about making such a significant financial contribution to their next boss

Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri would have a similar impact on the Premier League as Pep Guardiola were he to replace Arsene Wenger at Arsenal, says Mario Lemina.

The Southampton midfielder made 42 appearances for Juve under the guise of the Italian, winning two Scudettos, two Italian Cups and appearing in last season’s Champions League final.

Allegri is one of a number of names in the frame to replace Wenger at the Emirates, following last month’s announcement that this season would be his last at the club after 22-years.

And Lemina feels that, should Allegri be the one to take the job, he will bring ‘something special’ to the Gunners and the Premier League.

"He will give something special to the Premier League like Pep Guardiola [Manchester City] did, and Antonio Conte [Chelsea] did as well," Lemina told Sky Sports.

"Because he is Italian he will give something special because he is more tactical.

“I think he would be very good for Arsenal if he goes."

Arsenal face Atletico Madrid in the Europa League semi-final on Thursday night, and winning the competition – thus qualifying for the Champions League once more, is likely to have a significant bearing on whether or not Allegri would take the job.

James Benge is joined by Layth Yousif at Arsenal's wet and windy London Colney training ground to preview tomorrow's match.

TEAM NEWS

The Gunners have been handed a major boost ahead of the second leg of their Europa League semi-final against Atletico Madrid after Henrikh Mkhitaryan returned to training following a knee injury, reports James Benge.

The Armenian playmaker had been Arsenal’s most pressing injury concern but is set to feature in the Wanda Metropolitana as the Gunners look to book their place in the final, a tough task after their 1-1 draw at the Emirates on Thursday. 

Photo: Reuters 

Mkhitaryan missed most of April with the knee injury he suffered in the Europa League quarter-final first leg win over CSKA Moscow but made his return to the Arsenal line-up against his former club Manchester United on Sunday.

The 29-year-old proved a menace at Old Trafford, scoring Arsenal’s only goal in the 2-1 defeat, but was forced off after 76 minutes following a recurrence of the injury.

David Ospina (rib) also joined training. Arsene Wenger is yet to confirm whether the Colombian or Petr Cech will start in goal, with the former having impressed in the first leg.

Meanwhile Atletico Madrid look set to unleash Diego Costa on Arsenal after the former Chelsea striker was left on the bench for the first leg due to a hamstring injury.

However Costa came through the 1-0 win at Alaves on Sunday, completing an hour, and played a full part in training on Tuesday.

Costa is expected to replace Kevin Gameiro as Antoine Griezmann’s strike partner, though Diego Simeone faces a selection headache at right-back. Juanfran remains sidelined with a thigh injury whilst Sime Vrsaljko is suspended after his first leg red card. Spanish media report that midfielder Thomas Partey will be asked to fill in.

Merci, Arsene

Arsenal are planning a series of special measures to mark Wenger’s final home game as manager this weekend, writes James Olley.

The Gunners face Burnley at Emirates Stadium in what is sure to be an emotional occasion as Wenger takes charge in north London for the last time after 22 years at the helm.

Photo: AP 

Standard Sport understands each fan in attendance will be given a special memento of the day while a post-match presentation will be made to Wenger in addition to the usual lap of appreciation which takes place at the end of each season.

It is believed that many members of Arsenal’s ‘100 Club’ - players to have made more than 100 appearances - have been invited but not everyone on that list has been asked to attend.

Wenger has been given the opportunity to invite a variety of friends and family into the directors’ box for the day but it is as yet unclear whether majority shareholder Stan Kroenke will be at the game.

It is understood that Wenger is reluctant to create too much of a fuss around his last home game but the club are keen to honour his remarkable longevity and success.

The mood in the stadium will, however, be influenced to some extent by the outcome of tomorrow’s Europa League semi-final, second leg against Atletico Madrid.

So which managers are on the longlist to succeed Wenger at Arsenal? James Benge runs us through the names...

Luis Enrique

Photo: Getty Images 

A manager with Champions League-winning pedigree who is available will inevitably be among the contenders for top jobs, and was immediately linked with the Arsenal vacancy when Wenger made his announcement.

However, a former Barcelona and Roma boss does not come cheap and there are suggestions that Luis Enrique’s demands, both in terms of wages and transfer funds, have lessened his appeal to the Arsenal hierarchy.

Luis Enrique has kept his counsel amid links with both Arsenal and Chelsea but has received the backing of Arsene Wenger and his Barcelona predecessor Pep Guardiola, who labelled him “one of the best, best, best managers.”

Leonardo Jardim

Photo: Getty Images 

Arsenal’s last appointment was a manager who had taken Monaco to the title, so why not repeat the trick? Standard Sport understands that Jardim would be keen to discuss the vacancy should Arsenal make an approach, and the 43-year-old ticks several boxes.

At Monaco he has shown a commitment to developing youngsters who evidently impress Arsenal, not least Thomas Lemar and now-Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe, and playing the sort of attacking football Ivan Gazidis considers one of the conditions of taking the job. Jardim also managed to beat PSG to the Ligue 1 title in 2017.

The question the 43-year-old will face is whether he has the experience in Europe’s toughest leagues to adapt immediately to Arsenal, with his previous jobs having come in Portugal, Greece and France.

Carlo Ancelotti

Photo: Reuters 

One of European management’s elder statesmen, no-one would doubt that Ancelotti has the gravitas to take on the Arsenal job.

Standard Sport revealed in January that Arsenal consider the 58-year-old, a winner of the league and cup double with Chelsea and Champions League with AC Milan (twice) and Real Madrid a serious contender and he has publicly expressed an interest in succeeding Wenger.

No other contender can point to quite the glittering array of silverware that Ancelotti has accrued over two decades in management, but those who want a manager that bloods young players might note with concern how the likes of Joshua Kimmich and Kingsley Coman stalled under his tutelage at Bayern Munich.

Massimiliano Allegri

Photo: AFP/Getty Images 

A year ago might just have been Arsenal’s best chance to snare Allegri. It is understood that intermediaries close to the Gunners had held talks with the Juventus manager over a move to the Emirates should Wenger have moved on at the end of the season, and have even held discussions over personal terms.

Wenger stayed in place and Allegri signed a new three-season deal, though he has offered competing suggestions as to whether he will stay - noting last week that he “made his decision a year ago” - or could be tempted by another side.

The tactical acumen Allegri has displayed in Juventus’ passage to two Champions League finals in his four years at the club has made him a popular choice with many supporters, though his willingness to embrace pragmatism might constitute a culture shock for those who have only known Wenger’s expansive brand of football for 22 years.

Julian Nagelsmann

Photo: AFP/Getty Images 

The 30-year-old Nagelsmann was the youngest permanent manager in Bundesliga history when he took over as head coach at a Hoffenheim side seven points from safety in February 2016. Since then he has taken the German side to the Champions League in his first full season and looks set to repeat the trick this year.

A disciple of Thomas Tuchel, Nagelsmann has shown a willingness to embrace the use of technology on the training ground, where he has erected a giant 'videowall' pitch side and used drones to track player movements.

Nagelsmann has proven his ability to deal with upheaval, having lost Niklas Sule, Sebastian Rudy and Sandro Wagner to Bayern in the last year, but whether his relatively limited breadth of experience will be held against him remains to be seen.

Ralf Rangnick

Photo: Bongarts/Getty Images 

Barring a brief spell at the helm of RB Leipzig in the 2015-16 season - when they won the Bundesliga 2 -Ragnick has been absent from frontline management since leaving Schalke in 2011, spending his time working as sporting director at Red Bull Salzburg and Leipzig.

But his track record in German football, where he established Hoffenheim as a force in the top flight and won the DFB Pokal with Schalke in 2011, makes him of interest to Arsenal. Whether a return to the dugout appeals to him is not clear.

Rangnick does have close ties with several in the Emirates hierarchy, including first team coach Jens Lehmann, and handed incoming academy chief Per Mertesacker his debut at Hannover.

Brendan Rodgers

Photo: Getty Images 

Though he may not be universally popular on Merseyside, Rodgers did take Liverpool closer to a Premier League title than any manager has before or since in the 2013-14 season and did so with an attacking style of play that would appeal at Arsenal.

He has continued to implement that at Celtic where dominance is the minimum expectation but was still exceeded when Rodgers’ side went the entire 2016-17 season unbeaten.

Though Rodgers has reiterated his happiness in Glasgow, Celtic majority shareholder Dermot Desmond has refused to “put handcuffs” on his manager, who appears not to be the most popular option among Arsenal supporters on social media.

Patrick Vieira

Photo: Arsenal/Getty Images 

If Rodgers does not inspire much excitement from fans, New York City FC boss Patrick Vieira certainly would. The former Arsenal captain has the backing of Arsene Wenger and has admitted he would struggle to say no if offered a return to London.

“Of course it is an honour to be mentioned with Arsenal,” he said in April. “It was somewhere I spent nine years and I love the club.”

Vieira’s NYCFC side play in an appealing way and have finished runners-up in the Eastern Conference in both of his two years in charge.

He is convinced he is ready to manage in England but would have to convince Arsenal he can bridge the gulf from MLS to the Premier League.

Mikel Arteta

Photo: Getty Images 

Like Vieira, Arteta has moved from Arsenal to the Manchester City stable, though the Spaniard is part of the main club rather than any of its satellites across the world.

On his retirement in the summer of 2016 Arteta joined Pep Guardiola’s coaching staff at the Etihad, citing an “amazing opportunity” to work alongside one of world football’s greatest minds.

Arteta was a popular leader in the Arsenal dressing room and his ambassadorial qualities were noted around the club even when injuries limited the club captain’s impact in his final years at the club. He has Guardiola’s blessing if he makes the move to the Emirates but has never managed a competitive match.

Who will succeed Wenger?

The recruitment process for Arsene Wenger’s successor is well underway.

Arsenal have not had to appoint a new manager in 22 years and chief executive Ivan Gazidis, who is leading the hunt alongside head of football relations Raul Sanllehi and head of recruitment Sven Mislintat, is prepared to be “bold” as he looks for a manager that can propel the Gunners back into contention in the upper echelons of the Premier League.

Among the early candidates for the job are a top names with Champions League-winning experience, some of the bright young things in European management and several former Arsenal captains.

Good morning, and welcome to the Evening Standard's LIVE coverage live build-up to tomorrow's Europa League semi-final second leg between Arsenal and Atletico Madrid.