Arsenal in talks with Brady about possible future role

NEWS:Arsenal say they are in talks with Liam Brady about a future role after it was announced that the 56-year-old Dubliner will leave his current post as head of youth development at the club by the end of next season.

“Liam has a deep understanding of what it takes to discover and develop a talented youngster into someone who can perform at the highest level,” said chief executive Ivan Gazidis in a statement yesterday. “He has made a massive contribution to Arsenal Football Club. It will be difficult to find a worthy successor but we will be looking for someone who can build on what Liam and his team have created.”

Years of service

The club notes his departure will come after 25 years of service although it will be a little more than that if he does see his job out to the May 2014 deadline that has been reported.

His actual association with the club, however, dates all the way back to 1971 when he moved to London to sign up as a schoolboy. Two years later, in February 1973, he signed professional forms and eight months after that he made his first team debut, coming on in a game against Birmingham City.

Over the years that followed he went on to become a fixture in midfield and a firm favourite of the fans, with many rating him as one of the club’s greatest ever talents.

Towards the end of his time there as a player, he featured in three consecutive FA Cup finals, although they won only one – in 1979 – when the Dubliner played a key part in securing the win.

He was the PFA’s Player of the Year that season, the first ever from outside Britain.

Brady enjoyed greater success in Italy, where he won two Serie A titles with Juventus, and had subsequent spells with Sampdoria, Inter and Ascoli, before finishing his playing days back in England with West Ham.

Moved into management

He moved into management with Celtic and then Brighton and was about to take back on the latter role after having helped to bring in a consortium that saved the club from bankruptcy when Arsenal offered him the opportunity to oversee their academy.

“I got the offer to be head of youth development at Arsenal and it was too good to refuse,” he says. “I had a family to think about and it was a dream job for me.”