Mikel Arteta has already begun talks with Andreas Georgson about joining his backroom staff after Freddie Ljungberg left Arsenal and he could already be at the club.

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 09: Freddie Ljungberg, Interim Manager of Arsenal during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Arsenal FC at London Stadium on December 09, 2019, in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND: Freddie Ljungberg, then Interim Manager of Arsenal on December 09, 2019. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)

Arsenal confirmed on Saturday that Freddie Ljungberg is leaving the club. Ljungberg added on Twitter that he was doing so to progress his management experience, thanking the fans for their ‘constant support’ and wishing Mikel Arteta success for the new season.

David Ornstein reports that Ljungberg doesn’t currently have a job lined up, but he wants to be free for when any options arise. Arsenal are obviously happy with the job he did for them, but it was the right time to part ways. Arteta will look for new additions to his staff this summer.

Andreas Georgson
Andreas Georgson via his Twitter account

Arsenal, meanwhile, have reportedly started (and possibly completed) talks with Andreas Georgson about joining Arteta’s backroom staff.

The Swede, according to the Evening Standard, “…has a growing reputation and currently works at Brentford as their Head of Set Pieces and Individual Development. Prior to that he had been working at Malmo as an assistant coach.”

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As for Freddie, Ljungberg started as a player at Arsenal, before returning at the end of his career as the coach of the u15s. He then spent time as an assistant manager at VfL Wolfsburg before coming back against to take charge of the u23s.

It was an impressive second spell with the youth teams, leading them through a strong Premier League 2 season and significantly developing a number of players like Bukayo Saka, Joe Willock and Tyreece John-Jules.

When Unai Emery left in late 2019, Ljungberg then took over as interim head coach until Arteta’s appointment. He remained part of the current head coach’s team as they won the FA Cup this season.

Arsenal Tributes to Freddie

NORWICH, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 01: Interim Manager of Arsenal, Freddie Ljungberg looks on during the Premier League match between Norwich City and Arsenal FC at Carrow Road on December 01, 2019 in Norwich, United Kingdom. (Photo by Stephen Pond/Getty Images)
NORWICH, ENGLAND: Interim Manager of Arsenal, Freddie Ljungberg looks ahead on December 01, 2019. (Photo by Stephen Pond/Getty Images)

Edu: “We’re really sad to see Freddie leave as we know how much he loves Arsenal. However, we know he has had various opportunities over the last 12 months and stuck to the job at Arsenal. Now he has the opportunity to consider other options, and it makes sense for his career at this time.

“Freddie has made a huge contribution in his coaching role, most importantly when he led the team during that difficult period between Unai’s departure and Mikel’s appointment.

“We will forever be grateful for what he did then and what he’s done since but fully recognise his desire to move on and be a head coach himself.”

Arteta: “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 percent respect for him as a man and a coach. I know I’ll be facing him on the touchline in the future.”

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