Former Arsenal star Ashley Cole has given his backing to Carlo Ancelotti amid links with the Gunners.
Ancelotti was sacked by Napoli earlier this week despite guiding the Serie A side through to the knockout stages of the Champions League.
The Italian was in charge during a 2018/19 campaign that saw Napoli finish second in the Serie A but a poor start this term help lay the foundations for his exit.
Meanwhile, Arsenal parted ways with Unai Emery in November and Freddie Ljungberg has taken over on an interim basis, though Ancelotti has now been linked with the permanent vacancy.
Cole, who worked with Ancelotti during his time at Chelsea, has explained that the 60-year-old would be a perfect fit for Arsenal.
Asked what Ancelotti would bring to Arsenal, Cole told talkSPORT: "Togetherness. I’ve spoken about him a lot, about how good he was on the pitch but also in terms of being a friend and being someone who is not always serious.
"When you go out on the training pitch you have to have a laugh. You have to enjoy what you’re doing and he brought that in training sessions, but then when we went to games he’d also give you that love, that push and the understanding of what it means to win games.
"He’s won so much in his career with Milan as a player and of course as a coach, he’s someone who when he talks everyone listens. I think it would be great if he went to Arsenal."
Cole was also asked whether taking over at the Emirates would be a move backwards for Ancelotti in his career but the former England star was firm with his answer.
"No, I don’t think Arsenal is a step down for any manager. It’s still a big club," Cole added. "Yes, they haven’t won a lot in recent seasons but, I wouldn’t say the whole squad, but their starting XI is definitely good enough.
"They’ve got the attacking threat, they just need to address the defence and get more of a structure and a philosophy on how to play with the ball and without the ball. And I think Carlo would definitely do a great job there."
