Arsenal’s former academy head Andries Jonker and ex-player Freddie Ljungberg have been sacked from their new roles as manager and assistant of Wolfsburg.
Jonker left Arsenal to join the German club in February 2017, but just seven months later Wolfsburg have announced that he has been relieved of his duties.
Separate ways – Andries Jonker is no longer head-coach of VfL Wolfsburg ➡️ https://t.co/ipUovItYyB pic.twitter.com/lBnSF4BUEh
— VfL Wolfsburg EN (@VfLWolfsburg_EN) September 18, 2017
Wolfsburg currently sit in 14th place in the Bundesliga, with four points from four games. Not a disastrous record, but clearly the higher ups at the club were hoping for more from the start of the season. Wolfsburg only just managed to avoid relegation at the end of the 2016/17 campaign, and this probably also played a large part in the decision, in my opinion.
Wolfsburg have clearly been planning for this change, as a new coach is expected to be announced within a few hours, according to the article on their website.
Former Gunner Freddie Ljungberg has also been sacked by the club, as he only joined in the first place to be an assistant coach to Jonker. The Swede was working as an ambassador for Arsenal before he left for Germany, and there’s always a possibility that he could now return to North London.
Jonker, on the other hand, is unlikely to come back and be head of the academy again, as this role has already been promised to Per Mertesacker after the German retires at the end of the season.