MX23RW : Monday, November 25 10:38:28| >> :60:3261:3261:

Arsenal deny Jose Mourinho talks amid Unai Emery speculation

Mourinho has been linked with replacing under-pressure Gunners boss Unai Emery.

Arsenal have denied any meetings have taken place between head of football Raul Sanllehi and Jose Mourinho as pressure continues to mount on head coach Unai Emery.

A section of supporters have turned on the Spaniard following a run of two wins from their last nine Premier League games.

Emery came in for criticism after his side allowed a lead to slip for the third time in a week as they drew 1-1 with Wolves on Saturday.

Unai Emery has come under pressure at Arsenal
Unai Emery has come under pressure at Arsenal (Nigel French/PA)

Raul Jimenez's header earned Wolves a point at the Emirates Stadium after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's 50th Arsenal goal had put Emery's side in charge.

Emery's decision to substitute defensive midfielder Lucas Torreira with winger Bukayo Saka just three minutes before Jimenez scored completely altered the mood inside the stadium.

With continued scrutiny of Emery's results and tactics, speculation over who could replace him if Arsenal wield the axe has led to former Chelsea and Manchester United boss Mourinho being linked to the post.

Jose Mourinho has been out of work since leaving Manchester United in December
Jose Mourinho has been out of work since leaving Manchester United in December (Martin Rickett/PA)

The Portuguese was in attendance for Arsenal's 3-2 Europa League win over Vitoria last week and reports claim he is keen for another managerial job in England.

There was fresh speculation on Sunday morning that Sanllehi had met Mourinho for dinner, fuelling the fire over a potential move for the 56-year-old.

However, sources at Arsenal told the PA news agency that such a meeting did not take place and the pair have not had a conversation for years.

Emery opted to leave Granit Xhaka out of squad on Saturday after he swore at supporters who jeered him when he was substituted during the draw with Crystal Palace last week.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored on his first match as captain
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored on his first match as captain (Paul Harding/PA)

While it remains to be seen if Xhaka will retain the armband, vice-captain Aubameyang filled the role well against Wolves – getting on the scoresheet as he led the side out for the first time – and Emery suggested he could be a long-term option.

"He could be," he replied when asked if Aubameyang could remain captain beyond the one game.

"I think he can take that responsibility and today he did that. He is one captain and I think he can take that responsibility. We will analyse the match first, and our situation for the next matches and decide."

Wolves may have battled back to earn a deserved draw at the weekend – but it was not enough for midfielder Ruben Neves, who felt the visitors should have left north London with all three points.

Raul Jimenez celebrates Wolves' equaliser
Raul Jimenez celebrates Wolves' equaliser (Paul Harding/PA)

"We go out of with a feeling that we should win the game, to be honest," he told the club's official website.

"To create a lot of chances against a team like Arsenal is really difficult, and we did it, but to make the next step we have to score.

"We should have won that game, I think we deserved it, but you have to keep on working to do this step forward and start winning these kinds of games.

"When we play well and when we have these kinds of chances, we must win it, and if one team deserved the win today it was our team."

ID:377320: cacheID:377320:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:10451:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Jose Mourinho has a crafty wink on December 1, 2018
Read Next:
Mourinho 'dines with Arsenal chief amid Emery talk'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool1210112481631
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
10Fulham125341717018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd124441313016
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Ipswich TownIpswich121651323-109
19Crystal Palace121561017-78
20Southampton121110924-154


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!