According to reports from the Daily Express, Premier League giants Arsenal have already started preparing for life after Arsene Wenger.

There is no doubting the fact that Arsene Wenger has been a wonderful servant for Arsenal since his arrival to North London from Japanese outfit Nagoya Grampus Eight during the summer of 1996.

In his 20 years at Arsenal, Wenger has managed to completely revolutionize the club into a major superpower in European football and the Frenchman will surely go down in history as one of the greatest ever managers in the history of the game.

While Wenger’s achievements at Arsenal are unquestionable, there has been a sense of discontentment brewing among a section of the club faithful over the course of the past few seasons due to the Gunners consistently falling short in their pursuit to claim the Premier League title.

Wenger has entered the final year of his contract at the Emirates Stadium this season and although things are going well at the moment for Arsenal, it is widely expected that the 67-year-old will be departing from his role as manager at the end of the campaign – regardless of whether or not the Gunners win the title.

Arsenal may well be in need of a new direction heading into the future but it goes without saying that the Premier League giants will find it very difficult to replace a manager of such a huge stature like Wenger, with Manchester United’s struggles post Sir Alex Ferguson serving as a stark warning.

Therefore, the club hierarchy seem to be wasting no time whatsoever in their search for a potential candidate for the job at the Emirates Stadium and if the Daily Express is to be believed, the club have shortlisted Roger Schmidt as an option.

Schmidt may not be a well known name to fans in England but the 49-year-old has managed to earn the reputation as one of the finest managers in Germany over the past few years.

Although he did not enjoy a glamorous playing career, Schmidt has quickly climbed his way up the managerial ladder by doing stellar jobs at the likes of Preußen Münster, Paderborn 07 and Red Bull Salzburg, before coming to prominence at Bayer Leverkusen.

Schmidt’s footballing style has been often described as a mixture of Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola, and although there will be initial skepticism, the progressive German could well prove to be the ideal manager to fit into the philosophy Wenger will be leaving behind at the club.