The logical feeling is that Freddie Ljungberg would get the interim Arsenal head coach job if anything happened with Unai Emery, according to David Ornstein.
![David Ornstein: Freddie Ljungberg expected to take temporary charge if anything happens with Unai Emery 1 Arsenal-v-Tottenham-Hotspur-Premier-League-2-1539862082](/static/uploads/2018/10/Arsenal-v-Tottenham-Hotspur-Premier-League-2-1539862082-1024x698.jpg)
Currently working as an assistant to Unai Emery, Freddie Ljungberg is highly rated by the players and staff at Arsenal, per Ornstein’s claims in The Athletic. The ‘logical feeling’ is that he’d take charge on an interim basis if anything happened with Emery.
The former Gunner has ‘number one’ ambitions and is unlikely to stick around for too long if he doesn’t believe he’ll get a chance to fulfil them.
As someone who followed the Arsenal u23s closely during Ljungberg’s time as head coach, this is good news. Whilst there’s obviously a huge gap between youth and senior coaching, the 42-year-old had an excellent spell with the academy side.
Ljungberg had a clear philosophy that took a while to implement, but once it was in place the u23s shone.
They didn’t lose a single game under his management in 2019, pulling off impressive results like a 4-0 win over Spurs, a 5-1 win over Manchester City and a 3-1 win over Chelsea. The coach played to the strengths of his squad and developed many young players well on an individual level.
The first team are already reaping the benefits of that, with Joe Willock and Bukayo Saka stepping up impressively after a year under Ljungberg. Tyreece John-Jules is another who grew during the 2018/19 season and will surely get a senior chance soon.
Of course, it would be easier if Unai Emery just started to get results himself. It’s just nice to know there’s a promising backup plan.