Legendary Wenger reign will be the last of its kind – Ancelotti

Former Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti believes the era of long managerial reigns will come to a permanent end once Arsene Wenger leaves Arsenal.

The 66-year-old has been in charge of the Gunners since 1996, while Alex Ferguson retired in 2013 having led Manchester United for 27 years.

Ancelotti praised the fact that Arsenal and United’s long-term approach is different to that of many teams on the continent but still expects Wenger’s tenure to be the last mammoth managerial tenure.

He told The Independent: “Maybe clubs like Arsenal, or Manchester United have different ideas and are not just focused on the result – they are focused on other things, such as their project.

“Other teams such as Real Madrid want to be at the top all the time. PSG, when I moved there, wanted to grow. All clubs have their own projects and philosophies.

“When Wenger decides to finish at Arsenal, I do not think we will ever see a manager stay at the club for so long again.

“He and Ferguson are different, and to find managers like that – legends – is impossible. But I hope for our job as managers, you can still find clubs whose focus is not always only on the result.

“I think that Manchester United are focused on different things, Arsenal the same. Arsenal did not win [trophies] for many years, but they grew.

“They built a new stadium and Wenger did a fantastic job during that time in this sense. It is not all about the results, there are other things, and this is the right way.”