If Arsene Wenger had had his way, Carlo Ancelotti would be taking his seat in the home dugout for next month's Europa League tie between Arsenal and Napoli at the Emirates Stadium, according to a journalist in Italy.
Ancelotti (who won the Premier League with Chelsea in 2010) joined the Naples club in the summer but was apparently interested in replacing Wenger at Arsenal before that.
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Wenger's 22-year spell in North London came to an end at the end of last season, and he was then replaced by Unai Emery at Emirates Stadium.
Calcio Napoli 24 report claims from Italian journalist Ciro Venerato that the Veteran Italian boss was hoping he'd get the call.
“Arsenal-Napoli?” said Venerato when talking about the upcoming Europa League tie.
“I'll tell you a behind-the-scenes story dating back to last summer when Arsene Wenger indicated Carlo Ancelotti as his possible heir and successor on the Arsenal bench.
“Carlo Ancelotti, as you know, has a Canadian wife and the whole family lives in London. So he was interested.
“Arsenal then chose Unai Emery and at that point, Carlo Ancelotti signed for Napoli, but he did not forget that Arsenal rejected him.”
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That apparent rejection possibly will make Ancelotti even more determined to beat Arsenal next month.
This article was most recently revised and updated 4 years ago
