Arsenal and Mikel Arteta: Freddie Ljungberg an easy decision

After Mikel Arteta was hired as Arsenal’s head coach, Freddie Ljungberg is presently without a job. Appointing him in some coaching role, however, is an easy decision.

Editor’s note: This piece was written before Mikel Arteta’s press conference earlier on Monday.

Freddie Ljungberg was thrust into an impossible situation. After taking over from Unai Emery and his numbing coaching, he inherited an Arsenal squad that was confused, unmotivated, and in desperate need of tearing down and rebuilding. And he had a matter of hours to prepare them for the next match.

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Taking over from Emery on a Friday, Ljungberg then led his team to five games over the next 16 days. These matches featured games against the champions, a crucial Europa League tie to ensure finishing top of the group, and apparently confidence-boosting lay-ups. Arsenal won just one of those matches.

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The poor run under Ljungberg, which was by no means the Swede’s fault, forced the club’s hand. Initially, they were patient in their search for the right head coaching replacement. But suddenly, they needed to act, and Mikel Arteta was swiftly appointed the new, permanent head coach. Ljungberg took charge of Saturday’s draw with Everton, but that was to be his final game as head coach, with Arteta watching on in the stands and coming into the dressing room, before, during and after the match.

So what now happens with Ljungberg? Does he move on? Does he stay as an assistant coach? Does he replace Steve Bould and return to the under-23s, a role he performed very well in last season, in another coaching reshuffle? These questions were put to Ljungberg on Saturday:

"“I spoke to [Mikel] a little bit yesterday, a little bit today. The club has said they want me to stay. Of course I’m going to have a chat with him tomorrow.”"

It seems as though it will be down to Arteta and Ljungberg to thrash out the new arrangement. Those discussions are ongoing and will include Arteta’s entire backroom staff, of which vastly experienced Premier League assistant Steve Round is reported to be a part of.

Should Ljungberg be willing to stay in an assistant or youth capacity, the decision for Arteta is an easy one. He needs to keep continuity between the eras of coaching, having someone in his corner who also understands the club and the current squad of players will be invaluable, while it is an easy win with the fans, who also want Ljungberg to remain at the club. Given that Arteta spoke about re-energising the club in his introductory press conference, an easy win like hiring Ljungberg makes complete sense.

There is doubt regarding Ljungberg’s mindset. He obviously has aspirations of becoming a manager and there have been reports that he might return to Sweden as a head coach, but Arteta should be at least attempting to convince Ljungberg to remain in north London. He will be a precious asset in the backroom staff that Arteta will need.

What comes of Ljungberg’s remains to be seen, and the decision will be one of the first major ones of Arteta’s coaching career. There is an easy win that he should take, but stranger things have happened before.