The past few months have seen Pharell’s number one hit ‘Happy’ put millions around the world in a good mood. People are laughing, dancing around while one man stands in the shadows, pondering his next move.

With his contract up in the summer, Arsène Wenger has a decision to make – is he happy enough to keep the fans clapping along, if that’s what they feel like they want to do.

No matter what happens, there will come a time that Le Professeur decides to seek pastures new, retiring or fulfilling his dream of managing the French national side.

This may be a possibility in the foreseeable future, the French Football Association reportedly interested in Wenger taking the side to the European Championships hosted in their country.

Moving On Up

This raises the question of who could be next in the managerial hot seat. The Frenchman, only last week, claimed that he would not have any say in who takes over from him.

However, with Wenger’s philosophy written all over the club, it is ignorant to accept that he will not keep a watchful eye on the big decision to the face the board in the next few years.

While the bookmakers try to make a statement about who will replace the Arsenal legend, there are only a few select possibilities that fans will be happy with.

In my opinion, there are only three viable directions that the Gunners can take, all of which could provide different successes and challenges in the long run.

The Arsenal Way

In true Arsenal spirit, Wenger and the board may have had a plan in the pipeline for years, just in case Arsène retired prematurely. This could be in the form of former player and assistant manager Steve Bould, who has come through the Arsenal coaching system.

Mirroring Arsenal’s policy throughout the club, Bould has managed the youth team, leading them to an FA Youth cup win in 2009. With an improved defense under the Englishman, he could be the next in the line to Wenger.

He already knows the team well and the club’s philosophy, therefore he would be a natural and safe option to take over from Arsenal’s most successful manager.

The Modern One

They say it’s impossible to replace Arsène Wenger, but perhaps not if the successor is in the form of a modern, vibrant and exciting manager who has already made waves around Europe.

Jurgen Klopp is the current favourite, despite signing a three-year contract last October. An eccentric manager with Champions League experience, who knows how to get the most out of a team on a low budget, as well as a good rapport with Wenger himself, may be a strong option to take over the club.

Roberto Martinez of Everton would replicate a Manchester United situation, a very good manager taking over a top team. But with the Spaniard putting his own stamp on Everton, this option seems difficult to comprehend.

If Wenger’s departure is delayed a couple of years, there is more time to allow a new manager to learn the trade in Europe and then take one of the hardest jobs in world football.

The Legend

The only other option is to make the statues come to life. Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Viera have all been touted as potential managers when Arsène Wenger leaves the club.

All expressing their interest in the job, there have been many cases where this has not worked in the past (a la Alan Shearer). But with former Barcelona captain Pep Guardiola having no managerial experience before taking over the Catalan based club, his 14 trophies in four years give evidence to suggest that the gamble could pay off.

The fan and player morale would explode if they knew that a living legend was ready to take over the team. Whether or not one of the legends are bold enough to step up to the challenge is another question in itself.

Time Will Tell

With seven weeks left of the season, only time will tell what scenario Arsenal Football Club decide to take. It’s likely that the club will not want to be too risky with their decision, perhaps hiring a manager like Bruce Rioch was for a year, in order to wait for a final long term decision.

There are many different paths that the story could take the historic North London outfit, but only one man will have the final say as to what will happen.

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