Job Swap Good News For Two Great Gunners

The announcement of what is in effect a job swap for Steve Bould and Freddie Ljungberg is not entirely surprising. It is clear from the article in arsenal.com that both men are happy with the switch. Steve has been a bit part player in the first team coaching set-up and makes no secret of enjoying a return to a similar role he has already held for eleven years at the club.

“I have always had a deep commitment to developing young players and am delighted to be back working in an area which is so important to the future of our club. We have great young players and my job will be to help them maximise their potential.”

The Arsenal Head of football, Raul Sanllehi, explained the thinking behind the switch and revealed clear thinking about helping to develop the talent rolling off the academy production line.

“Identifying, recruiting and developing young players is a key part of our strategy. We have some great talent coming through our younger age groups and, like all top clubs, the challenge is to help them make the most of their abilities. The hardest part is always the transition from academy football to senior football. We already have good programmes in place but these staff changes will ensure our plans are even more robust and clear for every single player. I’m confident it will make a significant difference to our ability to bring players through to the first team.”

For Freddie too this gives him experience of working with the first team, an ambition he has harboured for a while I believe. This would appear to be a clear sign that we will have to utilise some of our young talent in the coming seasons if Champions League money continues to be absent from our bottom line. Freddie is the ideal choice to continue to help the players he himself has been developing.

“I’m really excited by this opportunity to continue helping develop and work with some of the great young players we have coming through in the first-team environment and to work alongside Unai and his coaching team to help Arsenal win trophies.”

Good luck to both men in their new roles. I’m sure both will be happier as a result, and look forward to Steve producing more young players for Freddie to inject into the first team set up.

Off to watch France women in the so far largely excellent Womens World Cup. They have been a great watch in their two opening fixtures.