Arsene Wenger fielded 221 players during his 22 years at Arsenal. Some of those players have followed his lead and begun coaching careers of their own.
With a spate of Invincibles – Vieira, Henry and Campbell – taking on new roles at Nice, Monaco and Macclesfield respectively, we thought we’d do a bit of digging and find out who else has done what in the dugout and on the training pitch.
We’ve included the full list of players to feature under Arsene and we’ll update this list as and when any of them get new jobs.
If you hear of any new appointments or spot any gaps in the list, let us know in the comment section. Text in bold means they still hold the job.
| Player | Head coach / Manager | Other coaching experience |
|---|---|---|
| David Seaman | - | - |
| Lee Dixon | - | - |
| Tony Adams | Wycombe Wanderers, Portsmouth, Gabala, Grenada | Portsmouth (assistant) |
| Steve Bould | - | Arsenal (under 23s + assistant coach) |
| Martin Keown | Oxford University Blues | Arsenal (defence coach) |
| Patrick Vieira | New York City, Nice | Man City (under-23s) |
| Paul Merson | Walsall | - |
| David Platt | Sampdoria, Nottingham Forest, England under-21s, Pune City | Manchester City (assistant) |
| John Hartson | - | - |
| Ian Wright | - | Milton Keynes Dons (part-time first team coach) |
| Ray Parlour | - | - |
| Dennis Bergkamp | - | Ajax (assistant coach) |
| Remi Garde | Lyon, Aston Villa, Montreal Impact | - |
| Steve Morrow | FC Dallas | Dallas Burn (assistant), FC Dallas (assistant) |
| John Lukic | - | - |
| Andy Linighan | - | - |
| Paul Shaw | FC New York (interim) | FC New York (assistant), Orlando City (under-23s) |
| Gavin McGowan | - | - |
| Scott Marshall | Aston Villa (caretaker) | Norwich (under-21s) |
| Stephen Hughes | - | - |
| Matthew Rose | - | Arsenal academy in Greece? |
| Lee Harper | Kettering Town | - |
| Ian Selley | - | - |
| Nicolas Anelka | Shanghai Shenhua, Mumbai City | Lille (academy coach) |
| Gilles Grimandi | - | Arsenal (scout) |
| Marc Overmars | - | Ajax (academy coach + director of football) |
| Emmanuel Petit | - | - |
| Luis Boa Morte | Fulham (under-21s), Sporting Lisbon (assistant + under-19s), Arsenal (scout), Portimonense (under-23s) | |
| Chris Wreh | - | Liberia (under-20s) |
| Jason Crowe | - | - |
| Paolo Vernazza | - | - |
| Alex Manninger | - | - |
| Alberto Mendez | FC Amberg | - |
| Jehad Muntasser | - | - |
| Matthew Upson | - | - |
| Isaiah Rankin | - | - |
| Kaba Diawara | - | - |
| Nelson Vivas | Quilmes, Estudiantes, Defensa y Justicia | Estudiantes (assistant), River Plate (assistant), San Lorenzo (assistant) |
| Freddie Ljungberg | - | Wolfsburg (assistant), Arsenal (under-18s & under-23s) |
| Omer Riza | Cheshunt, Leyton Orient | - |
| David Grondin | - | - |
| Fabian Caballero | Sportivo Ameliano | - |
| Michael Black | - | - |
| Nwanko Kanu | - | - |
| Oleg Luznhy | Venta, Dynamo Kiev (interim), Tavriya Simferopol, Karpaty Lviv | Dynamo Kiev (assistant) |
| Sylvinho | - | Cruzeiro (assistant), Sport Recife (assistant), Nautico (assistant), Corinthians (assistant(, Inter Milan (assisant + technique coach), Brazil (technique coach) |
| Thierry Henry | Monaco | Arsenal (academy), Belgium (assistant) |
| Davor Suker | - | President of the Croatian Football Federation |
| Stefan Malz | FC Arminia 03 Ludwigshafen (player-coach), FFC 08 Niederkirchen (women's team co-coach) | - |
| Ashley Cole | - | - |
| Tommy Black | - | Hemel-Hempsted Town (player-assistant) |
| Rhys Weston | - | - |
| Jermaine Pennant | - | - |
| Graham Barrett | - | - |
| Julian Gray | - | - |
| Brian McGovern | - | - |
| Lauren | - | - |
| Robert Pires | - | - |
| Sylvain Wiltord | - | - |
| Lee Canoville | Boston United (co-coach) | - |
| Stuart Taylor | - | - |
| Moritz Volz | - | TSV 1860 (scout), Arsenal (scout) |
| Igors Stepanovs | - | - |
| Tomas Danilevicius | - | - |
| Edu | - | Corinthians (director of football), Brazil (general manager) |
| Sol Campbelll | Macclesfield Town | Trinidad & Tobago (assistant) |
| Giovani van Bronkhorst | Feyenoord | Holland (under-21s assistant), Feyenoord (assistant) |
| Francis Jeffers | - | Everton (academy) |
| Junichi Inamoto | - | - |
| Richard Wright | - | - |
| John Halls | - | - |
| Carlin Itonga | - | - |
| Rohan Ricketts | - | - |
| Stathis Tavlaridis | - | - |
| Jeremie Aliadiere | - | - |
| Sebastian Svard | - | - |
| Juan | - | - |
| Gilberto Silva | - | Panathinaikos (technical director) |
| Kolo Toure | - | Celtic (technical assistant), Ivory Coast (assistant) |
| Pascal Cygan | - | - |
| Ryan Garry | - | Arsenal (academy) |
| Rami Shaaban | - | - |
| David Bentley | - | - |
| Justin Hoyte | - | - |
| Jens Lehmann | - | Arsenal (assistant) |
| Graham Stack | - | Watford (keeper coach?) |
| John Spicer | - | - |
| Jerome Thomas | - | - |
| Quincy Owusu-Abeyie | - | - |
| Gael Clichy | - | - |
| Cesc Fabregas | - | - |
| Ryan Smith | - | - |
| Frankie Simek | - | - |
| Olafur-Ingi Skulason | - | - |
| Michal Papadopolous | - | - |
| Jose Antonio Reyes | - | - |
| Robin van Persie | - | - |
| Mathieu Flamini | - | - |
| Seb Larsson | - | - |
| Danny Karbassiyoon | - | Arsenal (scout) |
| Johan Djourou | - | - |
| Manuel Almunia | - | - |
| Arturo Lupoli | - | - |
| Philippe Senderos | - | - |
| Patrick Cregg | - | - |
| Emmanuel Eboue | - | - |
| Alex Hleb | - | - |
| Alex Song | - | - |
| Fabice Muamba | - | Rochdale (academy) |
| Anthony Stokes | - | - |
| Nicklas Bendtner | - | - |
| Kerrea Gilbert | - | - |
| Abou Diaby | - | - |
| Emmanuel Adebayor | - | - |
| Tomas Rosicky | - | - |
| Theo Walcott | - | - |
| Julio Baptista | - | - |
| William Gallas | - | - |
| Matthew Connolly | - | - |
| Denilson | - | - |
| Mark Randall | - | - |
| Armand Traore | - | - |
| Mart Poom | - | Estonia (keeper coach) |
| Bacary Sagna | - | - |
| Eduardo | - | - |
| Lassana Diarra | - | - |
| Lukasz Fabianski | - | - |
| Fran Merida | - | - |
| Nacer Barazite | - | - |
| Kieran Gibbs | - | - |
| Henri Lansbury | - | - |
| Aaron Ramsey | - | - |
| Samir Nasri | - | - |
| Carlos Vela | - | - |
| Jack Wilshere | - | - |
| Francis Coquelin | - | - |
| Gavin Hoyte | - | - |
| Jay Simpson | - | - |
| Mikael Silvestre | - | Rennes (director of football) |
| Amaury Bischoff | - | - |
| Rui Fonte | - | - |
| Paul Rodgers | - | - |
| Andrei Arshavin | - | - |
| Vito Mannone | - | - |
| Thomas Vermaelen | - | - |
| Gilles Sunu | - | - |
| Wojciech Szczesny | - | - |
| Sanchez Watt | - | - |
| Craig Eastmond | - | - |
| Kyle Bartley | - | - |
| Thomas Cruise | - | - |
| Marouane Chamakh | - | - |
| Laurent Koscielny | - | - |
| Sebastian Squillaci | - | - |
| Jay Emmanuel-Thomas | - | - |
| Ignasi Miquel | - | - |
| Conor Henderson | - | - |
| Emmanuel Frimpong | - | - |
| Gervinho | - | - |
| Carl Jenkinson | - | - |
| Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain | - | - |
| Mikel Arteta | - | Man City (assistant) |
| Yossi Benayoun | - | - |
| Per Mertesacker | - | Arsenal (head of academy) |
| Andre Santos | - | - |
| Chuks Aneke | - | - |
| Ryo Miyaichi | - | Arsenal (head of cones) |
| Oguzhan Ozyakup | - | - |
| Chu Young Park | - | - |
| Daniel Boateng | - | - |
| Nico Yennaris | - | |
| Santi Cazorla | - | - |
| Olivier Giroud | - | - |
| Lukas Podolski | - | - |
| Martin Angha | - | - |
| Serge Gnabry | - | - |
| Damian Martinez | - | - |
| Thomas Eisfeld | - | - |
| Jernande Meade | - | - |
| Nacho Monreal | - | - |
| Yaya Sanogo | - | - |
| Mesut Ozil | - | - |
| Chuba Akpom | - | - |
| Kriss Olsson | - | - |
| Hector Bellerin | - | - |
| Isaac Hayden | - | - |
| Gedion Zelalem | - | - |
| Kim Kallstrom | - | - |
| Joel Campbell | - | - |
| Calum Chambers | - | - |
| Mathieu Debuchy | - | - |
| Alexis Sanchez | - | - |
| Danny Welbeck | - | - |
| David Ospina | - | - |
| Ainsley Maitland-Niles | - | - |
| Stefan O’Connor | - | - |
| Gabriel | - | - |
| Petr Cech | - | - |
| Glen Kamara | - | - |
| Alex Iwobi | - | - |
| Ismael Bennacer | - | - |
| Krystian Bielik | - | - |
| Jeff Reine-Adelaide | - | - |
| Mohamed Elneny | - | - |
| Rob Holding | - | - |
| Granit Xhaka | - | - |
| Shkodran Mustafi | - | - |
| Lucas Perez | - | - |
| Alexandre Lacazette | - | - |
| Sead Kolasinac | - | - |
| Reiss Nelson | - | - |
| Josh Dasilva | - | - |
| Joe Willock | - | - |
| Marcus McGuane | - | - |
| Eddie Nketiah | - | - |
| Ben Sheaf | - | - |
| Matt Macey | - | - |
| Henrikh Mkhitaryan | - | - |
| Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang | - | - |
Great effort to compile the list. However do include the years if possible against their clubs. For instance it says Adams was Grenada manager, but he is not now.
So incorporate between what period to what period he was manager of Grenada.
We’ve updated the post putting current jobs in bold. Trying to find all the specific dates, especially for some of lesser-known players and clubs has proved to be a bit more of a ball ache.
Putting the current clubs and jobs in bold has helped clarify things a lot. Thx
Ryo Miyaichi Was always going to make it big with the cones
My wife just asked me why I burst out laughing in bed. Well played, Blogs.
WOW!! Some of those names on that list made me shudder!
Great list, just to bring back the memories of all the players.
Can we have a category for ‘Saving the world’ and/or ‘Successful businessman’? eg like Mathieu Flamini? Would love to see if any of them have gone on to big things outside football.
Though appreciate the hard work that has already happened, so not seriously expecting it!.
Stathis Tavlaridis! What a time to be alive!
It is not for everyone to be a coach (especially successful). it goes with your personality as you command respect. For example Henry, an absolute legend as a player, will never make it as a coach, he is too casual (no I didn’t say shallow). Actor would have suit him best. Viera on the opposite, ahhh Pat, he’s killing it with Nice and will definitely be a top coach.
There was nobody who could have thought Zidane would become as great coach. He was always shy and silent in the dressing room as a player. When he talked, he wasn’t articulate.
Zidane a bit like Laurent Blanc, great man management but didn’t do the tactics. For me jury still out on him.
Hi Blogs, I do not see Paul Mariner on list l. He coached my local club Toronto FC for one season.
Cheers!
Alas, Paul Mariner didn’t play for Monsieur Wenger!
D’oh!! My apologies!
On that basis how did George Graham become a great coach? His nickname was “Stroller”
To be fair to Henry, Monaco have been in turmoil since the beginning of the season. Jardim has done miracles every year in reconstructing a competitive team year in year out. He left a mess .I have watched Monaco yesterday against AM and Henry has fielded a very young team and he wants to start from scratch. They lost but show some promising sequences of play.His battle this year will be to stay in Ligue 1 and he ‘s got no other pressure. It could turn out good for him on the long run.
Robert Pires – Head of Drools and Dreams (Arsenal)
I think Steve Morrow headed Arsenal academies in Greece
Isn’t Poom chairman of a club in Estonia? Remember reading that’s how we signed a young Estonian keeper and Arsenal have let him frequent visit to see how we run things
Isn’t David Bentley managing a bar in Benidorm?
Miachi really head of cones!?
Maybe add a star* if they are currently somewhere?
Hey…without cones, football as we know it now would be dead. Well played, Miyaichi…your worth is endless…
Wot no Nigel Winterburn…
Out of the ones currently in a management position I think only two or three will make a decent go of it – mert, arty and pv4
Giovani van Bronkhorst will be a great manager
I believe Bould was in charge of the U18’s before becoming assistant. There was no U23s then, only the Reserves (coached by Niel Banfield).
Also, Grimandi has left Arsenal to join Gazidis in Milan.