Freddie Ljungberg appointment points to a change in emphasis at Arsenal

There will be good reasons why Arsenal have appointed Freddie Ljungberg as assistant manager to Unai Emery and most likely there is more to this than what the club are saying but for me, it makes sense for one specific reason.

Yesterday I wrote an article where I put forward the theory that Arsenal was going back to their old method of focusing on young talent which is why I believe that there are so many rumours about us signing youngsters when we have so many talented kids already.

Steve Bould, who Llungberg will replace as assistant manager, did previously run the academy and so one can argue that he should know as much about blooding the youth players as well as anyone else but that was years ago, he is probably out of touch with the youngsters we have now and truth be told, he has not proven to be a great assistant manager anyway.

Llungberg is totally up to date with what is happening with the younger players, their mentality, attitude, emotional state and is far better placed than anyone at the club to know which youngster can make that transition into the senior squad.

It is not always about how good a player is, it is also about can he handle the big stage and all that comes with it and that is why Llungberg is the best man for the job, if that is the road Arsenal are now going down.

As each day passes I am becoming more and more convinced that Arsenal is looking at replicating the Ajax model or dare I say it, Tottenham in that they will put out a side next season with a young average age.

I cannot be 100% certain on this but I am sure I read that Spurs average age team was the youngest in the Premier League or certainly one of them and that is where I think Arsenal are heading.

I could easily be wrong on this I admit but I really do feel sure that Arsenal is making a change in emphasis and that Ljungberg is part of that change.

37 Comments

    1. People don’t realise it but there’s been a number of good changes in the background,people have been crying for them and now we are getting them,like the author said we finally have settled on a philosophy,direction,model whatever but it is still early days and gonna take some time and more importantly patience before we see results !!

  1. I still remember Wenger when a season was about to be over he promised Arsenal fans we will be active in transfer markets and when he struggled to bring anybody in he started to complain he hated a Transfer window and he hoped was over soon enagic o

    1. Enagic, don’t despair yet as per my rarlier posts, new signings hopefully will be announced once the Adidas kit contract commences on July 1.
      I will worry if no announcements are made by July 31!

  2. Good to have FL in the senior team, Edu in the office, next should be DB on the training ground and hopefully PV takes over from Unai next year.Would also like Jens back. A solid no nonsense team to lead AFC in the next decade.

    1. You want Vieira, the coach of the most boring-playing team in Ligue 1, as the coach of Arsenal??

      The guy is a poor man’s Mourinho.
      Who next, Tony Pulis?

  3. Truth is we are not giving opportunities to our young guns, Nketiah should have played more especially consider Unai denied him a loan move in January. I personally do not see us replicating the Ajax model when you consider that we are about to waste a reported 18m pounds on Maurice whom we don’t need considering we have Bukayo Saka, Eddie Nketiah, Joe Willock, Reisse Nelson and Emile Smith-Rowe who are not getting any chances in the senior team.
    Transfer season is exasperating for me as an Arsenal fan. We just can’t seem to do the right thing even with this new regime.

    1. I agree Sabs, I would love to see these guys get a good “swing at it”! Especially Emile Smith-Rowe. I’m really impressed with him when he plays. He just seems to have a great dynamic and tenacity about him.

      I’m just hoping Emery is as keen on youth as Wenger was (to a degree)!!

      1. Emile Smith-Rowe is a very talented player. I wish Unai can start using him in the EPL. He will play AMF or WF very well.

        1. We all agree on having great potential in our youth academy but it doesn’t appear like the powers that be see what we do. We are very good at fruitless and wasteful expenditure.

  4. Really glad to see our man, Freddie back in a main role!

    I think Steve Bould is a legend and I thank him for all his hard work over the years. Freddie will be sharing some of his experience now with great knowledge of our youth options. His passion and understanding of “The Arsenal way” will have a massive impact on the squad too!!

    Personally, I would have his babies tomorrow! 🙂

    1. Bould was a legend only as a player. As a coach he has been a complete disaster and if the club had the sense it ought to have he would be shown the door ASAP. I have far more instinctive faith is Freddie who seems a born communicator whereas Bould seemed like a hostile and bored statue mot of the time. Allbeit a gum chewing statue. He should have left with Wenger.

      1. Jon, I couldn’t agree with you more.
        We sang Bouldy’s song on the north bank, we loved his never say die attitude and we thought he would be able to pass on his knowledge.

        When the changes were made, he was (i think I am correct) the only backroom person who kept his original position.
        He should have gone before AW, he should have left with AW and he should not have been allowed to stay with UE.

        Freddie will be a breath of fresh air, can’t wait to see him getting off his seat and him and Unai running up and down the technical area…I’m smiling already at the picture!!!

        Enjoyed your post immensely…just wish Geordie Armstrong was around as well.

        1. Agree with both of you. Freddy’s knowledge of the youngsters will be invaluable and yes Ken I can see him getting off the bench to scream at anyone whose lacking effort. Bouldy’s problems was that AW never allowed him to have any input into the game, he then played the same roll when Unai arrived.

          1. Yes what a let down Bould has been .look are defence embarrassing for us fans.He should have gone years ago

          2. Kenny, caught up with your s/ticket answer and refereeing reply.
            Great for the s/ticket and i think we should have a poll to see if the women officials should take over from the Reilly mob!!!

  5. So the last pillar of the bad Wenger era is gone. A good sign, indeed. My hopes for the fate of this club in the upcoming season have increased by a staggering 5%!

    1. there wasn’t a bad Wenger era.. its just arsenal which is bad to be honest.. he made the best of a Club which is sadly a joke to be honest

      1. TH14-TW14, as I have stated previously the bulk of this squad have let down two well respected and credentialled managers in Arsene Wenger and Unai Emery, over the past three seasons.

  6. Arsenal is moving the Ajax way.Developing youth for the future. Freddie will over look the project.

  7. We are not copying spurs,everything they have done was replicating everything winger did years ago,from young players to the stadium but the difference is the money involved back then is peanuts compared to today’s revenues and still they didn’t managed the stadium that well,haven’t bought players for a while trust me when I say that when we were building our stadium if we had today’s revenues it would have been a different story,we wouldn’t have had to sell our best players,the stadium would have been paid off much quicker..even with hindsight spurs made mistakes,that’s the problem with being a pioneer you don’t have the luxury of insight,you can’t learn from others mistakes,spurs had everything!so no we are not copying them also bould won’t be alone he has Per with him to run it!

    1. We are yet to see the impact of the stadium debt on Tottenham Hotspurs, particularly given their wage structure and the future ambitions of Ponchitino and the players.

      1. It’s got to have a financial impact for sure. Will be interesting to see what the ticket prices are like at the “Toilet Stadium”?

        The fact we have more or less paid for our stadium already would make you think FFP is well in our favour and yet we’re skint (apparently)!?

    1. Yes, if Emery has any sense he won’t waste his time trying to placate people like you. His contract is up at the end of the 2019/20 season.

    2. Tristan, How sad for you to just be you! I really feel sorry for you and your total lack of any common sense.

      1. Sad or visionary? time will tell… We have 12 months to prove.
        Emery is not a right coach for us. #fact

  8. I must agree with gunneray on this one (not the babies bit though)I think its a step in the right direction Freddie has great knowledge of the academy and under 23s which tells me we are going down a more youthful path,it will be a step in the right direction for the club, the only thing i have a nagging worry of is Emery and how he will deal with these young players, a lot will depend on the more experienced players in the squad and there lies his problem.

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