Obviously you want a member of the coaching staff to have actual coaching credentials, but it doesn’t hurt if they are also loved and respected by the fans.
It’s always a good feeling when an old favourite comes back to work in the coaching staff at a club, and it sounds like Santi Cazorla might have that chance at Arsenal.
He’s an elegant player who was hard not to like even as a neutral, and he somehow came back from a gruesome injury to play at the top level again.
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The Mirror has reported on the latest with his situation, and the return to Arsenal might not happen just yet.
They confirm that Mikel Arteta has offered him a coaching role at The Emirates, but Cazorla hasn’t completely decided to hang up his boots just yet.
It’s not clear if he would keep playing with Villarreal or if he would need to find a new club, but perhaps he could even talk Arteta into giving him a player/coach role instead.
The 35 year old made nearly 200 appearances for The Gunners and is clearly fondly remembered by the fans, but it’s also understandable that he doesn’t want to stop playing after it looked like injury would force him to stop.
There doesn’t seem to be a deadline for him to make this decision, but surely this means he will eventually return to Arsenal at some point?