Arsenal have suspended two coaches, understood to be for alleged bullying – the under-23s manager, Steve Gatting, and his assistant, Carl Laraman. The precise nature of the complaint is unclear but the club have confirmed they have placed them on leave and launched an investigation.
Gatting and Laraman were not in the dugout for Tuesday’s Premier League International Cup final against Porto at the Emirates, which was the first public sign that something was amiss. The under-18 coach, Kwame Ampadu, stepped up to take the team and he oversaw a 1-0 defeat.
An Arsenal spokesman said: “We have suspended two coaches and launched an investigation following complaints from some players. These are private matters and we will not discuss any further detail.”
Arsenal have made great strides at academy level – they won the PL2 title this season – and they did well to reach the final of the International Cup, having been one of 12 English teams to enter alongside a dozen others from mainland Europe.
Ivan Gazidis referenced the club’s progress at youth level on the day that Arsène Wenger’s end-of-season departure was confirmed and he said that the manager’s replacement had to be committed to giving young players a chance. “Under the radar, we’ve got a lot of players coming through – not just ones that you already know about but the next generation, as well,” the chief executive said. “That value of giving youth a chance is very important.”
Gazidis has overseen a raft of changes at the club, including at youth level, where Per Mertesacker, the soon-to-be-retired defender, will step up at the end of the season to become the academy head, replacing Andries Jonker, who departed in February of last year.