Shandong denies bid for Wenger
Arsene Wenger will not be taking over at Shandong Luneng when he leaves Arsenal at the end of the English Premier League season, the Chinese Super League club announced yesterday.
The Frenchman is due to leave Arsenal in the summer after almost 22 years with the EPL side and speculation has been rife regarding the veteran coach’s future.
Wenger has been linked with a big-money move to an unnamed Chinese club, but Shandong moved to dispel rumors it will hire the 68-year-old to replace current coach Li Xiaopeng.
“We are surprised to learn from our friends online that Mr Wenger will be transferring to our club,” Shandong said in a posting on Weibo.
“Should we prepare a welcome dinner for him? We’re afraid the Professor won’t be a fan of our local-style barbecue, so we are not inviting him. We’re very comfortable with our own Professor Li.”
Wenger has experience of working in Asia having coached Nagoya Grampus Eight in Japan before joining Arsenal in September 1996, while other high profile coaches have moved to China in recent years. World Cup winners Marcello Lippi and Luiz Felipe Scolari have both worked at Guangzhou Evergrande while former England manager Fabio Capello recently left Jiangsu Suning.
Shandong is currently second in the CSL, a point behind leader Shanghai SIPG.