- The Swede says he has learned a lot from working at Arsenal Academy and at the first team under Emery and Arteta.
- Ljungberg says he wants to challenge himself and his ambitions.
- The 43-year-old spent almost half of his life, 22 years, at North London, and calls it ‘an amazing journey’.
Freddie Ljungberg has parted ways with Arsenal in order to pursue a managerial career. The Swede has reflected on his decision.
“I’ve been [associated] with the club for 22 years and it’s been an amazing journey, and I’ve learned so much from a lot of different people,” the Invincible told the club’s official website.
“But I think that now is the right time for me to step a little bit into the unknown and challenge myself and coach.”
![[FILE] Liverpool’s Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Salah (L) runs with the ball as Arsenal’s Brazilian defender Gabriel closes in during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium in London. (Photo by Catherine Ivill / POOL / AFP)](https://www.afriupdate.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/000_97B779-scaled-e1703231851386-120x86.jpg "Liverpool host Arsenal in battle for Premier League Christmas No. 1 2")
The 43-year-old coached kids at the Arsenal Academy, working with various age groups before becoming an Under-23s head coach.
In 2019, he was appointed Unai Emery’s assistant manager and was then asked to perform interim head coach’s duties between the sacking of the Basque and the arrival of Mikel Arteta.
Freddie returned to an assistant manager role under the 38-year-old but the time has come to step out of the comfort zone, he insists.
“I felt I had learnt so much and I wanted to take my time to get that foundation and knowledge of the game, not just as a player but as a coach, and now I think it’s the time to challenge myself,” Ljungberg added.
“Of course I could have stayed at Arsenal for a long time and been comfortable, I have so many friends from the people around the club, but sometimes you have to make a decision and I think this is the right thing for me.”
Apart from his service to the Gunners as a staff member in various roles, the Swede was a faithful servant to the club as a player. The former winger is considered one of the best footballers to ever wear the Gunners’ shirt.
Good luck to Freddie and we hope his career as a head coach will be a memorable one.
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