It was confirmed yesterday that Freddie Ljungberg has left arsenal to pursue other opportunities in management. The 43-year old Swede’s association with the Gunners dates back to 1998, when he joined the club as a player from his boyhood club Halmstad. He was part of two premier league title winning sides, including the invincible side in 2003/2004.
Ljungberg spent 9 seasons at Arsenal, making 325 appearances and scoring 72 goals. He left in 2007 to join another London side, West Ham United, spending a solitary season. After a spell in the MLS with Seattle Sounders and Chicago Fire, Ljungberg returned to the UK for short stint with Celtic. A further spell in Japan followed before he announced his retirement from football in August 2012. He was offered an ambassadorial role by Arsenal in 2013 to enhance the clubs global reach. In 2014, Ljungberg came out of retirement to help launch the Indian Super League, and retired from playing later that year, this time for good.
On 12th July, 2016, Arsenal announced that Ljungberg was returning to the Emirates as academy coach for Arsenal’s Under-15s. However, after less than a year on the job, Ljungberg left to team up with Andries Jonker at Worsburg in Germany following his appointment in February 2017. They lasted only 6 months before Jonker was sacked in September the same year along with his coaching staff.
The former Sweden international returned to Arsenal in June 2018, this time as coach of the Under-23s. Arsenal announced in the summer of 2019 that Ljungberg will be joining Head Coach Unai Emery’s coaching staff for the 2019/20 season. He was appointed interim head coach on November 29, 2019 after the sacking of Unai Emery. He led the team into five premier league games before the eventual appointment of Head Coach Mikel Arteta. He was retained as first team assistant coach until this latest announcement.
Freddie Ljungberg is very appreciated by the Arsenal rank and file. “Freddie has been a really important member of my team since my arrival. He did a great job picking the team up when Unai left and we all have 100% respect for him as a man and a coach. I know I’ll be facing him on the touchline in the future.”
Mikel Arteta said after the official announcement. Arsenal technical director Edu revealed “Ljungberg had various opportunities over the last 12 months and stuck to the job at Arsenal”, adding: “Now he has the opportunity to consider other options, and it makes sense for his career at this time.”
As the club bids farewell to one of its loyal servants, history shows that we might not have heard the last of their association.
