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Socceroos manager Graham Arnold is ‘keen to consider’ a move to Scotland, with Edinburgh giants Hibernian including him on their shortlist.
The Hibees are without a manager after sacking Lee Johnson just three games into the new season following three straight defeats in the league and a 5-0 humbling at home to Aston VIlla in the Europa Conference League.
UK broadcaster Sky Sports has reported that Arnold is interested in the role, but is also in the frame for two jobs in the second tier English Championship, should they become available.
The stumbling block for Hibs would be Arnold’s salary, as he is thought to be on close to $2m a year with Australia, though given his age and career goals, it might be that money is not the main motivating factor for Arnold.
The Socceroos don’t have a competitive match until November, with only friendlies against Mexico, England and New Zealand to worry about in the near future.
Arnold took the national team to the Round of 16 in the recent World Cup in Qatar and has an Asian Cup on the horizon in January, which should provide a new target for the Socceroos.
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But the coach, now 60 years old, may be interested in a new challenge. He has never managed in Europe and, indeed, only has one season’s worth of experience beyond Australia, where he failed to win a game as manager of Vegalta Sendai in Japan’s J-League.
Hibs are something of a basket case in Scotland, with managers rarely lasting a season.
Arnold, who has won three A-League titles across the Central Coast Mariners and Sydney FC, would be a standout candidate for the role, with the other contenders largely domestic.
Former Ireland international turned coach Roy Keane is the glamour option – if he would take it – but beyond him, names like former boss Neil Lennon, ex-St Mirren and Motherwell boss Stephen Robinson, former St Johnstone coach Callum Davidson and current Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes are thought to be on the list.
