This article is part of Football FanCast's Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers...

Speaking to Sky Sports, former Arsenal striker Alan Smith has suggested Brendan Rodgers would be a fantastic appointment for the Gunners.

What did he say?

The north London side are on the lookout for a permanent manager after the sacking of Unai Emery last week, with Invincibles hero Freddie Ljungberg taking charge on an interim basis for the time being.

Reports have claimed the Gunners have drawn up a 12-man shortlist for the role, with names such as Mikel Arteta, Mauricio Pochettino and Rodgers all supposedly in the frame.

And now, Smith has thrown his backing behind a potential swoop for the current Leicester boss, and insisted he would fit the club's profile extremely well.

He said: "Brendan Rodgers, at my former club, Leicester, I'd be delighted if they managed to secure him. I think his ethos suits Arsenal as well. When his name was mentioned before when they went for Emery a lot of people scoffed at it.

"But he's since shown what a top manager he is. They have to take their time, they have to make sure they make a good choice."

Identity

Following his comments in his press conference that he is happy where he is, it would represent a major turnaround for the Leicester manager to then take up the Arsenal job. Although, in the Gunners' favour, Rodgers did leave Celtic half-way through a season earlier this year, when the Bhoys were edging closer to a historic 'treble treble'.

The former Liverpool manager has built up a reputation for playing attacking football, and developing young players, and that is exactly the sort of profile Arsenal could do with at the moment. Unai Emery appeared to suck the life out of the club with his frustrating pragmatism, and a return to a more engaging style of play would surely go down well with the Emirates faithful. But as Smith suggests, the north Londoners must take their time to ensure they get the best possible candidate for the job.

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