Ampadu back as an academy coach

Arsenal have hired Exeter City’s Under 18s coach Kwame Ampadu as an academy coach. The 41 year old will officially make his return to Arsenal next month. Ampadu will initially coach the Arsenal Under 14’s side.

He was a player at Arsenal from 1988-1991 and joins a number of former Gunners players in the backroom staff, including the likes of Steve Bould, Liam Brady and Gilles Grimandi amongst others. He appeared in two first-team games for Arsenal during his career, making his debut in February 1990 against Derby, before appearing against Everton a week later. He went on to play for a number of clubs including West Brom, Swansea, Leyton Orient, Exeter City, Newport County and Tiverton Town. He has spent the past four years coaching Exeter’s Under 18 side.

Ampadu expressed his excitement about returning to his former club in the new role:

"“I am delighted to receive a fantastic opportunity like this at such a huge club and I was really really happy to get the offer,” he said.“I’ll be predominantly working full time with the Under 14s to begin with at a club where I spent three unbelievable years from 1988 after coming over from Ireland aged 17.“Everyone knows the sort of club Arsenal is and what it stands for and luckily enough the way we try to play football in our youth set-up here at Exeter, trying to get the kids to pass the ball, is what they do there as well.“Arsenal have a reputation of blooding young talent and City are very much in the same vein, if the managers think the players are good enough then they’ll play them."

There are plenty of legendary figures throughout the set up at the club and I’ll just be going about my business quietly and keeping my head down!”