Earlier on Tuesday, we covered a story from TuttoMercatoWeb claiming that Paulo Sousa, currently at Bordeaux, was on a three man shortlist to be Unai Emery’s replacement at Arsenal.
The Gunners are still without a manager after getting rid of the Spaniard, and while Freddie Ljungberg led the side to their first win as interim manager on Monday night against West Ham, he isn’t their long-term solution.
Well, L’Equipe have now had it confirmed (even crediting TMW with the original story) by the manager’s entourage that Arsenal are indeed interested in the Portuguese’s services, and he’s on a shortlist that also includes Marcelino (who has already met with the Arsenal board).
They even have quotes from said entourage: “They like his profile as a coach but also as a person. That doesn’t mean he will leave. They have targeted many candidates, but Paulo is one of them. Between the two, it could be a match.”
It’s worth pointing out that despite a 3-1 loss to Marseille on Sunday night, Sousa is performing what many see as a miracle with the Bordeaux side at his disposal these days.
The club currently sit fifth in Ligue 1, two points behind third placed Lille, and it’s these results that haven’t gone unnoticed.
That’s not all, either, as L’Equipe also reveal there is a very, and we mean very, affordable release clause in his contract with Bordeaux.
They explain Sousa was thinking about his future when he came to the French side, as the clause stipulates ‘either party can unilaterally terminate the contract against a cheque of somewhere between €2-3m’.
Peanuts for a club like Arsenal, who will want someone to get the best of the squad already at the Emirates, which is exactly what Sousa is doing with his players at Bordeaux.
