Arsene Wenger has reportedly asked the Dutch national team if he can replace Ronald Koeman, who is destined for Barcelona after the former Arsenal man turned down the chance to manage Barca himself but he hasn’t really.

Everton's Dutch manager Ronald Koeman (L) greets Arsenal's French manager Arsene Wenger ahead of the English Premier League football match between Everton and Arsenal at Goodison Park in Liverpool, north west England on December 13, 2016. / AFP / Paul ELLIS
Everton’s Dutch manager Ronald Koeman (L) greets Arsenal’s French manager Arsene Wenger ahead of the English Premier League football match between Everton and Arsenal at Goodison Park in Liverpool, north west England on December 13, 2016. / AFP / Paul ELLIS

On Tuesday 18 August, the Daily Mail reported that Wenger had make an approach to the Dutch Football Association (KNVB) to replace Ronald Koeman who is destined to return to the side he managed between 1998 and 2000. It is expected that Koeman will be announced as the new Barcelona manager later this week after the club held a three-hour board meeting.

A national team job would be much more sedate for Wenger and would allow him to continue his work with FIFA given how few games the Dutch team would play compared to a top-level European club side.

MONACO, MONACO - FEBRUARY 18: Arsene Wenger winner of the Laureus Lifetime Achievement award speaks at the Winners Press Conference during the 2019 Laureus World Sports Awards on February 18, 2019 in Monaco, Monaco. (Photo by Christian Alminana/Getty Images for Laureus)
MONACO, MONACO – FEBRUARY 18: Arsene Wenger winner of the Laureus Lifetime Achievement award speaks at the Winners Press Conference during the 2019 Laureus World Sports Awards on February 18, 2019 in Monaco, Monaco. (Photo by Christian Alminana/Getty Images for Laureus)

The Mail get their information from Fox Sports presenter Jan Joost van Gangelen who believes Wenger, if he was to get the job, would take the Netherlands through their Euro 2021 campaign instead of the former Everton manager.

Barcelona sacked Quique Setien after they were humiliated 8-2 by Bayern Munich in the Champions League. To be fair, that defeat was merely the poo cherry on their poo cake as the Catalan club had already spoken to Arsene Wenger about taking up the role after the Frenchman made it clear he was still open to a return to management.

Wenger, however, came out on Wednesday and said that he hadn’t actually been speaking to anyone about the Dutch job:

What has Arsene Wenger said about international management?

ST ALBANS, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 08: Arsene Wenger, manager of Arsenal talks to Shad Forsythe, Head of Performance during an Arsenal training session ahead of the UEFA Champions League match against Olympiacos at London Colney on December 8, 2015 in St Albans, England. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
ST ALBANS, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 08: Arsene Wenger, manager of Arsenal talks to Shad Forsythe, Head of Performance during an Arsenal training session ahead of the UEFA Champions League match against Olympiacos at London Colney on December 8, 2015 in St Albans, England. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

Arsene Wenger has never been the biggest fan of international management but, at 70-years-old, might realise this is his best option to coach one last time.

In 2016 Wenger, couldn’t have been clearer with his view that “international coaching is not coaching“.

“I was already in France asked a few times to take the national team at that age, 37, 38,” Wenger told the Independent. “But I thought always: ‘I have time to do it,’ and I thought it so much but I have still not done it. The time is getting short now.

“If you want to be part of coaching, then I think of course it’s at a club,” he added.

“For me, international coaching is not coaching. It’s only really interesting during the big tournaments. In Europe now you have 53 countries, 24 qualifiers, you play two years of qualifiers, no-one knows why. Then you go to the European Championships and that is interesting.

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS - JUNE 29: EM EURO 2000, Halbfinale, Amsterdam; ITALIEN - NIEDERLANDE (ITA - HOL) 3:1 n.E.; hintere Reihe v.l.n.r.: TORWART Edwin van der SAR, Edgar DAVIDS, Patrick KLUIVERT, Paul BOSVELT, Dennis BERGKAMP, Jaap STAM; vordere Reihe v.l.n.r.: Marc OVERMARS, Giovanni van BRONCKHORST, Phillip COCU, Boudewijn ZENDEN, Frank de BOER/TEAM HOL (Photo by Lutz Bongarts/Bongarts/Getty Images)
AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS – JUNE 29: EM EURO 2000, Halbfinale, Amsterdam; ITALIEN – NIEDERLANDE (ITA – HOL) 3:1 n.E.; hintere Reihe v.l.n.r.: TORWART Edwin van der SAR, Edgar DAVIDS, Patrick KLUIVERT, Paul BOSVELT, Dennis BERGKAMP, Jaap STAM; vordere Reihe v.l.n.r.: Marc OVERMARS, Giovanni van BRONCKHORST, Phillip COCU, Boudewijn ZENDEN, Frank de BOER/TEAM HOL (Photo by Lutz Bongarts/Bongarts/Getty Images)

“Now they will create a 48-team World Cup, so we’ll start the World Cup in January and finish in June. It’s a very pressured job for the England coach and every week you go to a game and think: ‘Has this guy the level, do I pick him or not?’ But you are a bit frustrated on a daily basis.”

Personally, I’d be absolutely delighted to see Wenger back on the touchlines, especially with the Dutch national team which is one I think most non-Dutch nationals have a lot of affection for.

Just imagine if he was to bring Dennis Bergamp alongside him as his number two…

Sadly, that’s all we have now after Wenger’s denial, our imagination.