Unai Emery says Arsenal are very happy with Freddie Ljungberg, and the former u23 coach helps to give them an advantage with the young players.
Ljungberg was promoted to the first-team coaching setup over the summer, swapping roles with Steve Bould, who took the job as u23 head coach.
In announcing the decision, Arsenal made it clear that one of the key targets of the change was to help young players transition from youth football to the first-team. There are a lot of talented players in the academy right now, and Ljungberg knows them a lot better than Unai Emery or his current/previous assistants.
A month and a half after the changes officially came into effect, Emery gave his thoughts on Ljungberg’s impact so far.
“He worked last year with the U23s, we were very close, speaking about the club and young players,” Emery said. “The club decided to change with Steve Bould as a coach of the U23s and Freddie with us.
“It’s perfect. He helps me a lot. His spirit is very good. He’s a Gunner! We are very happy with him. He is an assistant like Carcedo, Pablo Villanueva, like another. Usually tactically and technically we are working as a four.
“With the young players, he has an advantage because he knows them. The communication with them is through me and also through Freddie. We have communicated a lot with him.”
The benefits of the change are clear to see with a player like Joe Willock. Despite being arguably Arsenal’s Academy Player of the Season in 2018/19 and scoring three goals for the first team, Willock never seemed to be seriously considered for Premier League matches until the dead rubber game against Burnley.
That’s changed in the opening weeks of 2019/20. Willock got a proper opportunity in pre-season followed by starts in both of Arsenal’s Premier League fixtures so far, presumably after some input from Ljungberg on how consistently well the midfielder had performed last year.
Bukayo Saka is likely to get the same chances before long, after starting pre-season well and only having it disrupted by a minor injury, before travelling with the squad for both league matches.
Then there’s Tyreece John-Jules, who recently signed a new contract, and Robbie Burton, who had a positive pre-season after being recommended for the tour squad by Ljungberg.
If Arsenal’s new system helps to bring through the most talented youth players to the first team, it will save the club time and money investing in the same kinds of players in the transfer market. That can only be a good thing.