Arsenal are now in talks with England u18 boss Kevin Betsy over the u23 head coach role, according to a report.

Tom Barclay, who had previously suggested that Kevin Betsy was a contender for the position, now says Arsenal are in talks with the England u18 boss.

The 43-year-old is the current head coach of the England u18s and is reportedly highly rated within the system. He’s also managed England’s u15s, u16s, and u17s in recent years, having taken charge of Fulham’s u15s and u16s for seven years before that.

Per Chris Wheatley, Ryan Garry and Ken Gillard have taken temporary charge of the u23s following Steve Bould’s departure. Garry was on the touchline earlier this week for their first pre-season friendly.

As we covered back in May, Arsenal let Steve Bould go this summer after 30 years with the club. Despite huge success with the club over those three decades, the feeling was that the u23s needed a change.

Arsenal have a very talented group of young players right now, particularly when it comes to the u18s who will be stepping up to the u23 team next season. They need the right coaching staff in charge to get the best out of that group.

Betsy already knows a couple of Arsenal youngsters, having included Hubert Graczyk and Daniel Oyegoke in his England u18 squad to face Wales in March.

He will have met plenty of others during his time with the u15s, u16s, and u17s as well, including the likes of Charlie Patino, who captained the u17s under Betsy, and Zane Monlouis, who won the Syrenka Cup with the coach in 2019.