Arsenal appoint Freddie Ljungberg as assistant coach

Freddie Ljungberg [Courtesy]

Former Arsenal hotshot Freddie Ljungberg has been appointed as first team assistant coach.

This comes after Steve Bould, assistant to former manager Arsene Wenger since 2012, was given a new role of leading the under 23 team.

The former Sweden international who made incredible 214 appearances and netted 46 times for the gunners, says he is ‘’really excited” to step into the dugout alongside Unai Emery.

He played a very important role in Arsene Wenger's lethal ‘invincible’ side that went the entire 2003-04 season unbeaten.

The 42-year-old has been at Arsenal for a while now and has coached the club’s U16 team.

The appointment means that Bould will be relegated back to a familiar role with the academy, which he ran for an incredible 11 years before being hooked up to work with Wenger as an assistant.

Emery kept him on upon his arrival in 2018 but it now looks like the club’s management thinks he would be more useful grooming young talent that working with the senior team.

This is perhaps due to his 11-year experience with the North Londoner’s youth squad.

With Arsenal now facing financial difficulties due to failure to qualify for the Champions League for three Consecutive seasons, Bould’s experience would ensure more youths stepping up to the senior team to save the club from unnecessary expenditure.

"The changes will help create a 'transition team' which will collectively manage a player's development through some of the hardest and most challenging periods of their professional lives". Read the club’s statement.

The new changes will take effect on July 1 2019.

 

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