Ornstein on ‘complicated situation’ which might see Arsenal man leave upon Arteta arrival
Ex-BBC journalist David Ornstein has provided some details as to what Freddie Ljungberg’s future at Arsenal could be with Mikel Arteta’s arrival appearing to be on course to happen at some point in the near future.
The Gunners were hoping to secure a return to the Champions League this season after missing out on a place in the top four of the Premier League for the past three years.
However, a very worrying start to the campaign has seen the club get rid of Unai Emery, who came close to winning the Europa League in his first season at the Emirates stadium.
Following the exit of the Spaniard, former Arsenal winger Freddie Ljungberg is the man who has been assigned the role of interim coach.
The ex-Gunner appears to be struggling to make an impact on the team with the poor results from Emery’s final weeks still not gone.
With Mikel Arteta becoming the favourite to be appointed as Arsenal’s new boss, some may wonder what will happen to interim coach Freddie Ljungberg.
According to Ornstein, the Swede’s future at Arsenal is now ‘complicated’ and he might leave upon the arrival of a new manager.
“It’s a really complicated situation with Freddie,” Ornstein revealed on a podcast with The Athletic.
“Obviously, he was brought into the first-team setup as an assistant, very much as an assistant but with a knowledge among everyone in the Arsenal hierarchy that if something happened with Unai Emery, that he would be capable and qualified to hold the fort.
“Immediately, the mindset is that he could be – either on an interim basis or permanently – be the number one. Then comes this situation where Arsenal’s form continues to plummet.
“They’re in a really tricky situation. They’ve got enormous regard for Ljungberg, he’s conducted himself…to the powerbrokers.
“Now, would Mikel Arteta or Patrick Vieira want him on the staff? Certainly, Arsenal would want him on the staff but really in these situations, it’s not in Arsenal’s control if they’re giving Arteta or Vieira full backing.”