Arsenal academy coach, Deren Ibrahim, has left his role to take up a full-time position with Charlton Athletic.
The 27-year-old goalkeeper, who was, until his move to Charlton, still playing in goal for Dartford, is hopeful of returning to the Darts as manager in the future.
For now, he’s off to head up Charlton’s Academy goalkeeping department.
At Arsenal, Ibrahim seems to have had a limited role – he’s not even listed as one of the staff on Arsenal.com.
Arsenal Academy coach, Steven Fraser, tweeted his farewells to Ibrahim on Friday:
Gonna miss working with this guy, but the loss for @Arsenal &@dartfordfc is a big gain for @CAFCofficial, all the best in your new role @Derenibrahim #TopGKcoach #TopGuy pic.twitter.com/MbrwoFRe1a
— Steven Fraser (@soccersteve) October 26, 2018
“This job is full-time and it is a big commitment,” Ibrahim told Kent Online. “To be honest, it’s everything I’ve worked towards.
“I’ve never hidden my desire to be a full-time goalkeeper coach long-term.
“I’ve always focused on my career but now I’ve got to focus on 22 goalkeepers and try to get the best out of them.
“It’s a job I wanted but one I never thought I would get at this age so when the opportunity came around I couldn’t turn it down.”
Although he’s unlikely to be a name many people are familiar with, he managed to get himself on the scoresheet with a free-kick taken from within his own half:
Ibrahim made his 180th and final appearance for Dartford on Saturday.
They lost 3-1 at Truro.