Andy Gray: Arsenal Should Appoint Roberto Mancini as Wenger's Replacement

Andy Gray believes that Arsenal could make a move for Roberto Mancini in the summer if Arsene Wenger does not extend his contract with the Gunners.

The Italian manager won the Premier League title with Manchester City in 2011/12 but was sacked at the end of last season after failing to progress in the Champions League. Manuel Pellegrini has replaced him at City while the former Inter Milan man went to Galatasaray who crashed out of Europe to Chelsea after his team lost 2-0 at Stamford Bridge to follow up a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture.

The manager has also won the Serie A with Inter and is a proven winner in recent years and Gray believes that he will do a good job at Arsenal if given the opportunity. The manager was recently abused by his own fans in Turkey following which he revealed his desire to move out of the club and is likely to be available in the summer should Arsenal be interested.

"I could go at any time. I'm not here to listen to people curse me," Mancini said.

The Gunners have failed to keep pace in the final half of the season yet again this season, falling behind in the chase after leading the race for the better part of the season. Gray believes that the Gunners need something different, something which someone like Mancini will be able to hand them.

"If Arsenal are looking for a successful manager from the continent, to add a little bit of steel, then I could understand the logic [of appointing Mancini]. He's very experienced. He's won the Serie A title and the Premier League, so he knows how to get that done," Gray told talkSPORT.

"He's a little more pragmatic in his style than Arsene, maybe that would make Arsenal better. It's an interesting thought," he added.

Meanwhile, Arsenal face competition from Everton for the final spot to qualify for the Champions League but Gray believes that the Gunners will pip the Toffees by a small margin.

"Arsenal will just see Everton off [in the race for a Champions League spot]. Everton have got some tough games coming up and they have to win all of them. The six points [Arsenal hold over Everton] might just be enough of a buffer. Everton will go close but they might just miss out," Gray concluded.