Arsene Wenger's 22-year reign at Arsenal is reaching its end.The Frenchman announced last Friday that he will be leaving the club where he has won three Premier League titles, seven FA Cups and overseen an unbeaten season in the league.Wenger has been under pressure for a number of years as many Arsenal fans have let it known their desire for him to leave his post.They have finally got their way, but the 68-year-old has admitted how their protests was hurtful for the image of the club.“I believe this club is respected all over the world, much more than in England, and our fans did not give the image of unity that I wanted," Wenger stated."That was hurtful because I feel the club is respected over the world and, overall, the image we gave from our club is not what it is – and not what I like."

GARY NEVILLE NAMES IDEAL CANDIDATE TO REPLACE HIM

With Wenger leaving, Arsenal need to pick the right candidate to take the club forward.

A number of names have already been suggested, including Brendan Rodgers, Luis Enrique and Patrick Vieira.

But Gary Neville has named the 'outstanding candidate' that Arsenal should target: Diego Simeone.

Speaking on The Gary Neville Podcast, he said: "They have to have a manager who can punch above their weight, and the outstanding candidate for me is Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid.

"Season after season he has challenged, not just in the Champions League but in La Liga too, with a team that has a big budget but nowhere near that of Barcelona and Real Madrid.

"What the new Arsenal manager is taking on with Man City and Man Utd, and to a lesser extent Chelsea, is huge financial might. £150m, £200m ploughed into the team each season.

"If you're going to compete with that, you have to have an outstanding manager to do so, and Simeone is that manager in Europe at this time. He has continually done it.

"To try and prise him away from Atletico Madrid would be the big move, and people say that wouldn't be the Arsenal way. But I dispute that strongly.

"The Arsenal way has changed over the years, and it wouldn't be ridiculous to suggest the new Arsenal way can be a little more pragmatic than the current team. Simeone is a winner, a fighter, he will culturally change everything.

"If Arsenal have aspirations to win the league, and are not going to do it by spending, they're going to have to do it by spending less and achieving more. That's difficult, and you need a special type of manager to do that."

Simeone has certainly proven he is a fantastic manager. During his reign at Atletico, he has taken the club to a La Liga title and two Champions League finals; despite lacking the financial power of Real Madrid and Barcelona.

But many Arsenal fans are divided.

Some are keen to see Simeone join the club after proving his credentials as a manager, but others are unsure due to his negative style of football.

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