Reports in France claim ex-Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has turned down an offer to take charge of Barcelona, with Spanish giants keen to replace under-fire Quique Setien
- Barcelona are running out of patience with current manager Quique Setien
- The Catalans approached Arsene Wenger about his availability for next season
- The Frenchman turned down the opportunity to manage Barcelona, say reports
- The 70-year-old has not managed a side since leaving Arsenal in 2018
Arsene Wenger has turned down the opportunity to become Barcelona manager, according to reports.
The ex-Arsenal boss has not taken a manager’s role since leaving the Gunners in 2018 after 22 years in charge of the north London club.
But according to French news outlet Le10sport, the La Liga giants approached Wenger over the possibility of becoming their new coach after losing trust in current coach Quique Setien – but the Frencham rejected the offer after discussing the Barcelona project.
Reports in France say that Arsene Wenger has rejected the Barcelona manager’s role
The 70-year-old took up the role as governing body FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development in November of last year and admitted he wants to commit to this role.
Wenger told Europe 1 recently: ‘Every day, I want to train, I’ve been doing it all my life.
‘But can I get back into it? I cannot do things by halves, so I am asking myself the question.
‘It will have to be under conditions that I consider optimal. Otherwise, I will not do it.
The Frenchman has not held a manager’s role since leaving Arsenal in 2018 after 22 years there
‘I want to create at Fifa the most efficient analysis center in the world. I know it’s very ambitious, but you will see that at the 2022 World Cup we will produce match analysis which will be extremely effective.’
Wenger faced Barcelona nine times whilst Arsenal manager, with his only win coming via a 2-1 victory in the Champions League last-16 stage in 2011.
The six losses to the La Liga giants included the painful comeback loss to the Catalans in the 2006 Champions League Final.
Wenger faced Barcelona nine times during his Arsenal career, losing six and winning just one
The Frenchman was linked with a move to Barcelona in 2017 when Luis Enrique was manager, but dismissed reports of a switch due to his commitments with the Gunners.
Meanwhile, the pressure is growing on Setien after a difficult few months for Barcelona.
The Catalans lost the league tile to arch rivals Real Madrid this summer and their only hope of silverware rests in a tricky Champions League campaign over the next few days.
The Catalans are believed to be running out of patience with current coach Quique Setien
Barcelona take on a rampant Bayern Munich side at the quarter-final stage on Friday night, with Bundesliga giants already lifting the German league and cup double so far this season.
The winner of that encounter will take on Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City or French side Olympique Lyonnais in the semi-final stage.
Setien has already received wide-scale criticism over his management skills since taking over from Ernesto Valverde in January, even from within his own camp.
Barcelona stars Lionel Messi (right) and Luis Suarez (left) have been vocal critics of Setien
During Barcelona’s unsuccessful title challenge, striker Luis Suarez took a dig at Setien and his coaching staff and blamed them for dropping two points in a damning 2-2 draw away at lowly Celta Vigo.
Meanwhile, talisman Lionel Messi is believed to be unhappy with the project put forward by the Barcelona coach and his team.
