Arsenal ‘bully’ probe Gunners suspend academy coaches
Arsenal have suspended two of their most prominent academy coaches, Steve Gatting and Carl Laraman, after bullying allegations.
Gatting, who is the under-23s’ head coach, and his assistant Laraman are the focus of an internal investigation that began after a series of complaints by players at the club.
It is understood that the action was taken around two weeks ago and related to a number of incidents. The precise nature of the allegations is unknown.
Under-18s coach Kwame Ampadu oversaw the under-23s in Tuesday’s Premier League International Cup final defeat against Porto at the Emirates.
Under Gatting and Laraman, the under-23s lifted the Premier League Two title this season after winning 13 out of 22 matches, finishing two points above Liverpool. They were one of 24 teams from Europe to play in the International Cup, beating Villarreal, Bayern Munich and Dinamo Zagreb en route to the final.
Gatting, 58, made 76 appearances for Arsenal between 1977 and 1981 and was part of the team that reached three consecutive FA Cup finals. He also played for Brighton and Hove Albion in the 1983 final.
The brother of former England cricket captain Mike, Gatting joined Arsenal’s coaching staff for a second spell in 2007.
Laraman, 56, joined from Charlton in the summer of 2010 and previously ran coaching programmes for children ranging from undernines to under-13s. He also oversaw Arsenal Under-18s when they reached the Youth Cup semi-finals.
A club source told the Islington Gazette that the two coaches were “under investigations for complaints of bullying”.
An Arsenal spokesman confirmed that the club had suspended two coaches and launched an investigation following complaints from players. “These are private matters and we will not discuss any further detail,” said the spokesman.
Per Mertesacker will be taking over the academy from next season after retiring as a player. The previous academy manager, Andries Jonker, left in February of last year.
Chief executive Ivan Gazidis had specifically highlighted the progress at academy level when Arsene Wenger’s departure was confirmed and one of the core expectations for the next Arsenal manager is a willingness to give the best young players a first-team chance.
“Under the radar, we’ve got a lot of players coming through – not just ones you already know about, but the next generation as well,” said Gazidis. “That value of giving youth a chance is very important.”
With Wenger’s tenure as manager ending at Huddersfield tomorrow, a series of other changes will be made to the coaching staff.
First-team coach Boro Primorac, fitness coach Tony Colbert and goalkeeping coach Gerry Peyton are all expected to leave, but Steve Bould and Jens Lehmann are likely to be asked to stay.
Arsenal do want to retain coaches with a strong Arsenal link in the first-team set-up, although final decisions will also rest on who is appointed manager.