Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech has urged the club to appoint a new manager "as soon as possible" in order to give players clarity about the future.

The Gunners are searching for a successor to Arsene Wenger, with former captain Mikel Arteta seen as a front-runner after Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri appeared to rule himself out.

They are hoping to announce a decision ahead of the World Cup, and Cech said he felt it was a case of the sooner the better.

"For the club it's important to know as soon as possible because you need to prepare the squad, you need to prepare the preseason," he said.

"The new manager will probably change little things here and there. So for the manager as well it's important to have more time to prepare for the preseason.

"And as well if he decides not to keep some players, then for the players, it's beneficial if they know in advance."

Cech said he believed the next manager needed to have a similar approach to that taken by Wenger.

"If you want that continuity then obviously you need to find someone who shares the same values," he said.

"There is a certain way that Arsenal has always presented itself and the way that the team plays football. So if he can carry that on and play the Arsenal way, that would obviously be great."

Meanwhile, striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang said he had believed Wenger was staying when he joined in January.

"I thought he would be at Arsenal for years," Aubameyang told the Evening Standard. "But this is life. This is football. Sometimes you never know.

"But I was happy to play for him. I learned a lot in not a lot of time. I am happy to be here."