Carlo Ancelotti: Arsenal to ramp up interest but they won’t be alone as Premier League tug of war begins

Ancelotti’s intermediaries have been in regular contact with the club even before his sacking by Napoli on Tuesday evening but the likes of Everton and West Ham are also interested in the former Chelsea boss

Carlo Ancelotti is available after splitting from Napoli this week (EPA)

When Carlo Ancelotti’s sacking was confirmed, just three hours after Napoli waltzed into the Champions League last-16, the news came as no surprise to the man himself. For weeks, during a period of mutiny between a core of the squad’s senior players and owner Aurelio De Laurentiis, the end had felt inevitable so he began planning his next move.

First, when Mauricio Pochettino’s future at Tottenham came under scrutiny, intermediaries quietly pushed the Italian’s interest in a return to London. And by the time Spurs’ chairman, Daniel Levy, opted for Jose Mourinho as the Argentine’s successor, Ancelotti’s attraction to the role was far from a secret.

With Arsenal now, the situation is similar. Despite there being no official approach, The Independent understands Ancelotti’s intermediaries have been in regular contact with the club and were still speaking before the Italian’s departure from Napoli on Tuesday evening. Formal talks are able to begin now that the manager is a free agent as Arsenal’s executives prepare to interview their shortlist of available candidates.

Ancelotti is well-liked by senior figures at Arsenal, has long been on their shortlist, and his reputation is boosted by the fact he’s still held in high regard by many at Chelsea, where he won the double in 2009/10.

As is well publicised, Mikel Arteta and Patrick Vieira are believed to be the two names currently leading Arsenal’s search, with a former player who’d resonate with supporters considered favourable. In Arsenal’s current position, though, Ancelotti’s appeal as a three-time Champions League winner still carries weight. He is an experienced option and a trustable safeguard if Freddie Ljungberg is ultimately seen as unfit to carry the club until the end of the season – even if that mood was stemmed temporarily by Arsenal’s victory at West Ham on Monday evening.

Of course, other teams have also taken an immediate interest in Ancelotti’s availability. With a deal to take Vitor Pereira from Shanghai SIPG stalling and hesitancy at board level to reappoint David Moyes, hiring Ancelotti would be a spectacular coup for Everton. In an attempt to lure him, they can offer evidence of majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri’s aggressive investment strategy and a squad that boasts enormous potential.

Likewise, West Ham United will take notice as Manuel Pellegrini’s reign in east London continues to stretch into unwelcome territory. The club baulked at Rafael Benitez’s release clause, but they too are assessing their options.

That those two clubs would be interested in hiring Ancelotti is obvious. But to the manager, it would represent a major climbdown. Not since 1999 has the 60-year-old led a team seen as being outside of Europe’s ‘elite’ bracket. And with a sequence of positions becoming available in that same market at an alarming rate recently, there’s no reason for Ancelotti to rush into his next role.

However, if he were to successfully come through the interview process at Arsenal, there are few who doubt Ancelotti wouldn’t leap at another stint in London.