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Reports in Bosnia suggest Zeljko Buvac could succeed Arsene Wenger at Arsenal

Will Magee
Zeljko Buvac speaks with Jurgen Klopp ahead of Liverpool’s 5-2 victory over Roma in the Champions League
Zeljko Buvac speaks with Jurgen Klopp ahead of Liverpool’s 5-2 victory over Roma in the Champions League

Given that he’s been in the job for just under 22 years, it’s little surprise that Arsene Wenger’s departure from Arsenal has become the story of the season.

Dozens of managers have been touted as his replacement, from up-and-coming coaches like Mikel Arteta and Patrick Vieira – both of whom obviously have strong links to the club – to those who have been tenuously linked with a move to the Emirates for some time. Carlo Ancelotti, Massimiliano Allegri, Thomas Tuchel, Luis Enrique and Brendan Rodgers fall into the second category, among others.

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Though some of those links feel more credible than others, none has felt like a perfect fit. Now, an even more left-field candidacy has been added to the list: that of Zeljko Buvac.

According to a report in Bosnian outlet Pravda, Jurgen Klopp’s right hand man at Liverpool is a serious contender to replace Wenger. Buvac is currently on hiatus from his role as assistant manager at Anfield for “personal reasons”, though Liverpool have stated that he is still an employee of the club.


Buvac inbound?

The report in Pravda suggests that Buvac, nicknamed ‘The Brain’ and cited as a major influence behind the scenes at Liverpool, is currently recharging his batteries in his Bosnian hometown of Omarska ahead of taking the Arsenal job.

Interestingly, Pravda were one of the first outlets to report that Klopp and Buvac would be joining Liverpool back in 2015.

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Just as they were with Wenger when he joined from Nagoya Grampus Eight in 1996, Arsenal seem open to the idea of hiring a relative unknown instead of a big-name candidate. Speaking after the announcement of Wenger’s departure, Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis said: “We need to be open-minded and also brave in the decision [about his replacement]. When Arsene was appointed, I don’t think he was on many people’s radar.”