It was announced on Wednesday that Joe Montemurro will leave his role as head coach at the end of the 2020/21 season.
The search for his replacement is now underway - but who will be targeting? And what will we want from the new appointment?
“In terms of what happens next, first and foremost Joe is our head coach until the end of the season and there is plenty of work to do,” chief executive Vinai Venkatesham told Arsenal.com. “The absolute focus is to finish as high in the table as we possibly can, and of course fighting for a Champions League spot. That is the focus.
“Of course, the players and staff are going to be upset and disappointed by this news, of course they are, and there will be an element of shock as well - we all know that. But there is an opportunity for us all to rally around, galvanise and finish the season really strongly.
“At the same time we are going to start the process for Joe's replacement, and we are going to start that process immediately. We're going to be looking for someone to build on the illustrious history that Arsenal Women have, build on the legacy that Joe is going to leave, and also leads us into a new era for women's football. An era where the popularity of the game has never been higher and the competitiveness of the game has never been higher, both here and internationally.
“We saw another positive sign of the new era for women's football just last week when we saw the domestic TV deal announcement, which means there will be even more attention and even more audience for the women's game. But in terms of process, there will be a few of us involved to find Joe's replacement, we will have the management of Arsenal Women, our people director, our technical director, Edu, and of course I'll be involved in the process.
“At the same time as that process we're running through to find Joe's replacement, we're also undertaking a full and thorough review of Arsenal Women, which is already well progressed. That review is about looking at absolutely everything we do, thinking about how we can get even better, thinking about how in the right areas we can invest even more to ensure we have the best possible opportunity to be successful on the pitch.
“I guess in terms of what type of person, first and foremost we want to bring on board someone we are comfortable can help us achieve our sporting ambitions, to help us be as successful as we can in the domestic game - so to compete to win the WSL title - and someone who can help us be successful in Europe as well. We will be looking for someone who can continue to play the type of football Arsenal fans want to see their teams playing, and we will also be looking for somebody who will really respect the values of the club and be a positive ambassador for Arsenal both on the pitch and off the pitch.
“Ultimately this is a fantastic job, it's an opportunity to be the head coach of the most successful women's team in the country at a time when women's football is exploding in popularity. So I know we're going to have a fantastic shortlist of candidates to choose from.”
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