If reports in Germany are to be believed, Arsenal have already anointed Arsene Wenger's successor. Former Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel has seemingly rejected the advances of Bayern Munich in favour of a move to the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal supporters longing for a fresh face at the helm ought be excited by the prospect of Tuchel's arrival -- he seems like precisely the kind of manager the club needs right now.
At this early stage, it's difficult to determine the legitimacy of the Tuchel links, which come from the well-respected publication Bild. After all, he was very strongly linked with the Gunners 12 months ago, only for nothing to materialise. And realistically, it's unlikely that a definitive decision has been made on Wenger's future yet anyway. With Arsenal still in contention for the Europa League, the current incumbent of the Gunners' dugout will surely feel he has an opportunity to prove he deserves to see out the remainder of his contract, which runs out in 2019.
Nevertheless, it is likely that informal contact has been made with potential successors (as Lothar Matthaus suggested happened with the unemployed Tuchel). The Arsenal hierarchy will be acutely aware that if Arsenal go out of the Europa League, the appetite for change among the supporters will grow stronger still. With a World Cup and a new, earlier transfer deadline (Aug. 9), this is set to be an unusually truncated preseason period. If Arsenal are considering appointing a new manager, feelers simply have to be put out now.
It's natural that Tuchel would feature prominently on any shortlist. He is a high-profile coach who has been linked with the likes of Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain in recent months. However, there are those who remain unconvinced about the calibre of a man with only one major piece of silverware on his CV: the 2017 German Cup.
Tuchel's detractors label him as a "poor man's Jurgen Klopp." However, while both men made their names during managerial spells with Mainz before stepping up to Dortmund, there are marked differences in their managerial style.
While Klopp's teams invariably play in the same frenetic fashion, Tuchel is more strategically versatile. He introduced elements of possession play into Dortmund's game, while retaining their capacity to threaten on the counter. If anything, it was Tuchel who breathed life into a Dortmund side who had started to become stale and predictable under Klopp. And it is precisely that kind of tactical reinvigoration that is required at Arsenal.
It's also worth nothing that Tuchel's most impressive season at Dortmund brought the best out of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Both players were hugely productive under Tuchel -- so much so that Mkhitaryan earned his big-money (although ultimately ill-fated) move to Manchester United. It would make plenty of sense to reunite Arsenal's two new signings with a coach they have previously thrived under.
The big question mark against Tuchel surrounds his relationship with the man credited with helping to bring Mkhitaryan and Aubameyang to north Londo: transfer guru Sven Mislintat. The pair reportedly fell out at Dortmund, and the breakdown in their relationship was a key factor in Tuchel's departure from the German club. Mislintat is clearly viewed as an important element in Arsenal's rebuilding programme, and it would be essential that the two men set aside their differences.
That is eminently plausible for two professional men, of course. Both Mislintat and Tuchel are plainly competent, intelligent people. If Arsenal can get them pulling in the same direction, with Raul Sanllehi helping to direct football activities, then they will have assembled a powerful team.
For now, Arsenal fans hoping for any confirmation will be disappointed. The club are likely to deny any concrete interest in Tuchel -- or indeed any other candidate. The Wenger situation is a sensitive one, and the club will want to be respectful to a man who has given more than two decades of excellent service.
However, if Arsenal are talking to a coach of Tuchel's ilk, it's a positive indicator of their willingness to embrace change. Tuchel lit a fire under an ailing Dortmund side, and might be just the man to do the same at Arsenal.