Gaël Clichy has decided to leave his post as assistant with France’s Under-21s in order to begin life as a head coach, ending a two-year spell working first under Thierry Henry and then Gérald Baticle.
The 40-year-old, who made 264 appearances for Arsenal between 2003 and 2011, says the time has come to step out of the shadows.
“I had already told Thierry from the start: I will be the best assistant possible, but I don’t want to lose myself in that role. I decided this was the moment for me to become number one,” Clichy explained to L’Équipe.
Clichy, a Premier League winner with Arsenal in the Invincibles season as well as twice with Man City, revealed he has already had offers from clubs in Europe and the United States but will first complete his UEFA Pro Licence in Wales this December.
He intends to follow the same path as Henry, who convinced him to hang up his boots in 2023.
Reflecting on the transition from player to coach, Clichy credited Pep Guardiola with reshaping his view of football during his final season at Manchester City. “My last year at City, Pep re-taught me how to play football. In 10 months he overturned all my certainties. It is not an exaggeration, you need to live it to understand it,” he said.
Since then, he has gradually built his coaching CV, working closely with staff at Başakşehir and later Servette, where he combined playing with taking training sessions. “Even with players far below City’s level, we could achieve what we wanted. It only requires time and clear ideas,” he said.
Clichy accepts that his first head coach job is unlikely to come at the elite level, but he is clear about the path he wants to take. “I know I will not start at Real Madrid or Arsenal. It will probably be Ligue 2 or even National, but the important thing is the project,” he said.
From Arsenal’s youngest title-winner in 2004 to a coach now ready to make his own mark, Clichy is stepping into management with the same determination that defined his playing career.