Wenger expects female managers in Premier League 'soon'

Dom Farrell

Wenger expects female managers in Premier League 'soon' image

Arsene Wenger says there could be female managers in the Premier League in the next 10 to 15 years.

The Arsenal boss, who signed a two-year contract extension at Emirates Stadium at the end of last season, told a Football Writers' Association event in London that he foresees changes in the way top-flight clubs are run.

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Wenger was reported to have railed against the introduction of a director of football at Arsenal as his unseemly contract saga rumbled on and he senses a move towards more technical analysis in the running of clubs, with a shift away from what he terms "football specialists". 

"I'm personally convinced that [a female manager in the Premier League] will happen soon," he said.

Rudi Garcia Marseille Corinne Diacre Clermont Foot

"I'm convinced in 10 or 15 years it will not necessarily be a football specialist who is a manager of a club.

"You will have so many scientists around the team that [the people] who will bring out the team to play on Saturday will be more management specialists than football specialists.

"[This is] because the football decisions will be made by technological analysis."

In Wenger's homeland, Corinne Diacre is the head coach of Ligue 2 side Clermont Foot, a position she has held since becoming the first woman to led a professional men's team in a competitive match in France three years ago.

Dom Farrell

Dom Farrell Photo

Dom is the senior content producer for Sporting News UK. He previously worked as fan brands editor for Manchester City at Reach Plc. Prior to that, he built more than a decade of experience in the sports journalism industry, primarily for the Stats Perform and Press Association news agencies. Dom has covered major football events on location, including the entirety of Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup in Paris and St Petersburg respectively, along with numerous high-profile Premier League, Champions League and England international matches. Cricket and boxing are his other major sporting passions and he has covered the likes of Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, Wladimir Klitschko, Gennadiy Golovkin and Vasyl Lomachenko live from ringside.