‘Joe’s a fantastic leader, on and off the pitch'

Our chief executive, Vinai Venkatesham, has nothing but positive words to say about Joe Montemurro.

Our head coach has taken the decision to step down from his role of head coach at the end of the season - but he’s made a long-lasting impression on our staff, players and fans alike.

“Well it absolutely is a big day and it's also a really sad day,” Venkatesham told Arsenal.com. 

“Joe is somebody I have the upmost respect for, he has been a fantastic leader for our football club both on the pitch and also off the pitch and in his time with us he has brought us a huge amount of success and plenty of silverware, most notably the WSL title in 2019.

“While winning that silverware, we played the attacking and attractive blend of football that we love to see. So it is a sad day, and Joe is - as he's said a number of times - an Arsenal fan, and he really is an Arsenal man. So there's a great sense of disappointment that Joe has made this decision that he would like to leave at the end of the season and take a break.

“But I must say I fully understand and respect his decision because as well as being an Arsenal man, Joe really is a family man and we had a very emotional meeting where he talked me through the reasons why he is going to step away from his dream job and make the most difficult decision that he said he's made in his professional career, and that's to press pause, take a break and spend some time with his family. Of course we wish Joe and his family the very best and of course Joe will always be part of the Arsenal family and he leaves with our very best wishes.”