Conte should replace Wenger at Arsenal, claims Carragher

Antonio Conte would be the ideal replacement for Arsene Wenger when the veteran Frenchman leaves his post as Arsenal manager, according to Jamie Carragher.

Wenger signed a new two-year deal at the Emirates Stadium in May, but has not won the league title since the 2003-04 season, while the Gunners are on a five-game winless run in all competitions and in danger of missing out on Champions League qualification for the second year running.

Conte - reportedly frustrated with Chelsea's transfer policy - also penned fresh terms at the end of last season, although they did not extend his tenure and he has consistently been linked with a range of other managerial positions, including the Italian national team and Serie A underachievers AC Milan.

And Carragher believes Arsenal should put Conte at the top of their wishlist for when Wenger eventually decides to end his 21-year reign at the helm.

"If Conte's situation is precarious - the Chelsea hierarchy ambivalent on his future and Conte increasingly frustrated by the structure of the club - there will be a long queue for his services," Carragher wrote in a column for the Telegraph.

"I could imagine Real Madrid considering Conte as a replacement for Zinedine Zidane, whose position looks vulnerable. The Italian national team would beg him to go back after their failure to qualify for the World Cup.