According to The Times, Arsene Wenger and Andries Jonker will give Freddie Ljungberg a chance to take on the vacant coaching position with Arsenal’s under-18s.
The Gunners began the summer offering the role to Thierry Henry only for Wenger to veto the decision when his compatriot refused to give up his punditry responsibilities with Sky Sports.
Former captain Tony Adams had been tipped to fill the vacancy alongside Kwame Ampadu after undertaking a five-week trial. The ex-Gunner subsequently moved to China to work with Chongqing Lifan’s Academy.
While there’s no particular rush to fill the gap, Ljungberg’s regular presence at the training ground appears to have worked in his favour. The Swede, 39, returned to London Colney in January to help out with the under-15s and has since impressed Wenger, even helping out in training during the recent tour of California.
Freddie joined the Gunners in 1998 from Hamlstads, scored on his debut off the bench against Manchester United and went on to become a true legend of the Wenger era. The roving midfielder won three FA Cups and two league titles during a stellar nine years in North London.
Great to hear. Freddie seems more committed to the role than both Henry and Adams did, and I’m all for having as many legends around the club as possible. Will only help the future players understand the importance of being at Arsenal!
is he still modeling for calvin klein?
I don’t know. I hope so.
No more modelling for Freddie. Conflict of interest with the coaching role. Players will be distracted by Freddie’s shoots.
I hope Pires decides he wants to coach too.
Pires has been coaching the first team for at least the last three years
If Freddie gets a four-million contract with Sky, he will opt for U18 assistant coach job, right?
Fuckin’ excellent.
Good nuz
all the kids will paint a red line in their heads.
As for tonight, with Lolo still in Paris, it will be difficult for the Vikings.
Ljungberb only lives once
isn’t it wrong to suggest wenger vetoed the appointment of henry, as its more accurate to say that henry was unable or unwilling to commit to a full time role, he said himself that with his tv role he could not be at arsenal full time, and that he offered to do one day a week. Jonker offered Henry a full time role, Henry was unwilling to do it full time, if Wenger vetoed anything it was a one day a week role for henry, and rightly so, if your coaches are not fully committed then how can you tell… Read more »
Yeah I’d say it’s more accurate to say Henry turned the job down to remain at Sky.
Well said. It’s a shame he didn’t want to commit to a full time role as I feel he would have been a real asset. But money talks I guess.
Pires spends a lot of time at london colney, it would be good if he was offered a coaching role within the academy.
As legends go he is a bit neglected here … I always thought he was excellent to watch, direct, committed. There is a mutual loyalty between him and the club. That should always be nurtured and respected with ex-players and is an excellent signal to send to the youth players. COYGS!
Ljuengberg scored some memorable goals for the Gunners, many of them more significant than that first against Man United, but it was a pretty goal and I remember it well. A lovely one-touch dink over Schmeichel to wrap up a 3-0 win at Highbury. Adams opened the scoring by heading in a free kick, Anelka added a second right before the half after a long ball by … I can’t remember who let him in alone on the keeper. That season started so promising, coming off the double win, instead it turned into one to forget. Tried to find highlights… Read more »
Here we go, all three goals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fTAgGbty9Y
I enjoyed that.
Some great football, thanks!
Yeah it was great football. Arsenal-United games in those days were so dramatic and intense, and almost always high quality. About 10 months earlier, they played this game, with a Vieira goal most of us have surely seen before, but some excellent goals from both sides:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvmoe9Y43MQ
Been watching late 90s Premier League videos for two hours now…
(Which incidentally features another player scoring his first Gunners goal in style against United – Anelka.)
Man how that team fit together so well. Henry being a striker but hanging out on the left side so often making centre backs gravitate towards there while this guy wrecked havoc on the right.
Happy to hear this. If I could have Patrick, Thierry, and Robert all at Arsenal too, Gaddem!!!
Can’t wait for him to rock that red mohawk on the touchline why we stuff Maureen’s Yawnited for dead…
Although I’m all for Legends around the club I still hope we consider who would be the best candidate for the job and don’t just give it to people we know because of who they are rather than how capable and qualified they are to perform the actual work required to do the job properly and at a high enough level to be legit and the real deal at the level Arsenal want to operate. Plenty of highly skilled talent developers and managers out there who never played proffessional football themselves or atleast not at a very high level. It… Read more »
COME ON YOU REDS
We love you Freddie
Because you’ve got red hair