Former Swedish midfielder Freddie Ljungberg has reportedly agreed a deal to return to Arsenal as a youth team coach.
BBC Sport journalist David Ornstein has tweeted to confirm the news that Ljungberg will be returning to the Gunners on a permanent basis.
And as mentioned by others, former Arsenal midfielder Freddie Ljungberg is returning to the club this summer as a youth team coach on a permanent basis – that deal is done #AFC
— David Ornstein (@bbcsport_david) May 12, 2018
Ljungberg could be set to replace current Under-23 boss Steve Gatting, who has recently been suspended after accusations of bullying were made against him. His assistant, Carl Laraman, has also been suspended by the Gunners.
The pair were absent from the dugout in Arsenal’s recent Premier League International Cup final defeat to Porto, with Under-18 manager Kwame Ampadu taking charge of the Under-23 side.
If Ljungberg does not directly replace Gatting, it could be the case that Ampadu steps up to the Under-23 role and Ljungberg will take up the Under-18 management position.
Former Sweden captain Ljunberg played over 300 games for Arsenal between 1998 and 2007, before moving to West Ham and then going on to play for various clubs in the United States, Scotland and Japan.
Upon retirement, he moved into coaching and took charge of the Arsenal Under-15 side between 2016 and 2017, before moving to Bundesliga outfit Wolfsburg to become assistant manager to former Gunners academy manager Andries Jonker.
The pair were dismissed back in September, with Jonker being replaced by former Mainz boss Martin Schmidt.
A coaching role in the Arsenal academy could be a good move for Ljungberg as it gives him an opportunity to iron out his mistakes in management before seeking a senior position.
Steven Gerrard has recently done the same after completing his management apprenticeship with the Under-18 side at Liverpool before accepting the Rangers job earlier this month.
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