‘Yes!’, ‘Great appointment!’ – fans delighted with Arsenal’s latest announcement of Ljungberg as u23 head coach

freddie-ljungberg
freddie-ljungberg

We reported on Wednesday that Arsenal appointed Freddie Ljungberg as their the new head coach of the u23s and supporters are delighted with the news. After calls for more ex-players to take backroom roles at the club, Ljungberg is now the third appointment of 2018 – Per Mertesacker (Head of Academy) and Jens Lehmann (first-team coach).

The 41-year-old is very popular among fans due to his successful nine years at Arsenal as a player. He was an unknown from Halmstad in 1998 but went on to make more than 300 appearances for the Gunners, winning two Premier League titles and three FA Cups. He also returned after hanging up his boots to take charge of Arsenal’s u15s and u19 UEFA Youth League side.

Arsenal look focused on improving Hale End academy this summer, potentially to clear a pathway for the youngsters to the senior side. They’re still developing talents who make the transition from youth football to the first-team – Hector Bellerin, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Alex Iwobi – and have appointed new faces to assist with the development of future stars.

Marcel Lucassen has recently become Head of Coach and Player development, while Lee Herron is the new Head of Academy Football Operations.

Stats from Transfermarkt.

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