Arsenal u21 boss Mehmet Ali is leaving the club for a role in Brentford’s coaching team.
Mehmet Ali coaching the Arsenal u21s (Photo via Arsenal.com)
Photo via Arsenal.com
James McNicholas reported this week for The Athletic that Mehmet Ali has left his role as Arsenal’s u21 head coach to become part of the backroom team at Brentford, ending three years in charge of the Gunners’ top academy side.
Arsenal have now confirmed the news, with academy manager Per Mertesacker saying: “Mehmet has been fantastic both professionally and personally and we are really proud of his development.
“He has supported both the under-21s and first team amazingly. Since the day Luke Hobbs and I made the decision to appoint him, he has been fabulous.
“We thank Mehmet for his contribution and wish him well with this amazing opportunity to work in a first-team environment and make a difference in the Premier League.”
Keith Andrews has been appointed as Thomas Frank’s successor at Brentford, and Ali will assist the head coach in his new role.
Mehmet Ali managing the Arsenal u21s (Photo via Arsenal.com)
Photo via Arsenal.com
Previous u21 assistant coach Max Porter is taking joint charge of the team, and former Arsenal u18 boss Ken Gillard will join him.
It’s not the first time the Gunners have opted for an internal promotion. Ali himself was the assistant coach before he got the head coach role.
U18 boss Ken Gillard (Photo via Football.London)
Photo via Football.London
The Arsenal u21s had a decent season overall, finishing eighth in the 26-team league and reaching the play-off quarter-finals.
The team were eliminated by eventual champions Manchester City, but it was a close game, with Arsenal leading 2-0 until the 76th minute, and City eventually scoring their winner deep into extra time.
The young Gunners were without star players Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly for most of the season, for obvious reasons, and they also had to deal with a rotating cast of goalkeepers thanks to senior call-ups and injuries.
But Ali generally did well with the group available to him, which included quite a few returning loanees with contracts running down – players who understandably might have lacked motivation under a worse coach. The 38-year-old will now take his talents to Brentford.
Related Posts