Arsenal are considering turning to Jose Mourinho as a replacement for their under-pressure coach Unai Emery. Concerned by fractures that have formed between the Spaniard and senior members of his playing staff, Arsenal’s hierarchy has begun to prepare the ground for a change of management.

With a return to Champions League football after a three-season absence fundamental to their sporting and financial strategy, the London club are looking for a manager with strong knowledge of the Premier League who can bring an identity to a squad who were reassembled at significant expense in the summer window, while rapidly delivering results.

They also want an individual unencumbered by the language problems that have seen Emery struggle to communicate effectively with a number of his Arsenal players.