When the draws are made for the Champions League and Europa League, clubs send their officials off to give soundbites and look happy/terrified at the prospect of the challenge awaiting them.
When the club is in a difficult moment, it’s a good bet the official involved will be asked awkward questions, and they often try to dodge giving answers or leave the building so quickly that nobody has the chance to ask them.
Arsenal sent along club secretary David Miles, and he’s been jumped on by various media wanting to know who the Gunners’ next manager will be.
For the Swedish media there’s a special interest given Freddie Ljungberg is current interim manager, and there’s an eagerness to know if there’s any real chance of him becoming the permanent boss at Arsenal.
Miles then said the club need to get back to ‘winning ways’ in the Premier League, explaining performance in the domestic competition has not been ‘exactly what we expect’.
When quizzed on the timing for a new manager, Miles said he isn’t involved in that process, and then when asked if Ljungberg is one of the ‘potential permanent coaches’, the Arsenal official replied: “Yeah, there’s no reason why not. I mean, he’s been working with Unai Emery for a while and I’m sure he’s going to be a good head-coach in the future for a club, if not at Arsenal, another club maybe, he’s doing pretty well at the moment.”
