Arsenal will consider Eddie Howe to replace Arsene Wenger

AFC Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe is perfectly suited to replacing Arsene Wenger at Arsenal should the Frenchman decide to leave north London at the end of his contract, claims Jamie Carragher. Wenger is out of contract at the end of the season and is yet to decide whether to extend his 20-year association with the north London club.

The 67-year-old Wenger arrived in English football as a relative unknown when he was appointed Gunners boss in 1996 but he has gone on to enjoy a stellar career in English football. During his two decades at the club he has won three Premier League titles and six FA Cups and became the most successful foreign coach on British shores.

Howe is very much in the mould of Wenger, having adopted an attractive style of playing using youth players while taking Bournemouth from the depths of the English football pyramid to become a staple of the top flight – leading to links with the England job.

However, an offer from Arsenal may come before one from England, according to ex-Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, who feels the 39-year-old is ideal for the challenge of taking over at the Emirates Stadium.

"We want to see English managers getting good jobs and look at the job he has done at Bournemouth," he told Sky Sports "The big thing for Arsenal when Wenger eventually leaves is, will it be a case of: 'We want a shift, or do we want to continue building on Wenger's philosophy?

"If they are not winning titles or European Cups over the next few years - as I see Wenger staying and signing a new contract - then the issue for the board and the supporters will be they probably will want a change. But because Wenger is so influential and runs right through the club, how will that affect the club?

"So I am sure Howe will come into their thinking, but it is a big jump from Bournemouth to Arsenal as a manager. But if anyone in that bottom half has the credibility to do that, then by the way he has set up his team, Eddie Howe does."

A move to Arsenal would catapult Howe into the top tier of coaches in the Premier League and be a far cry from his humble beginnings as a coach. He earns wages close to £750,000-a-year, claims the Daily Mail, a salary which is dwarfed by the £8.3m paid to Wenger, making him the fourth best paid coach in world football, according to Total Sportek.