While Emma Hayes and Chelsea were warming up for their Champions League tie against Wolfburg, the news came out that Arsenal head coach Joe Montemurro is to leave the club at the end of the season. He will leave the club on 31 May once the WSL season is over.
The WSL title-winning boss stated that he is looking to take a professional break to recharge and dedicate more time to his family.
He told the Arsenal website, “I’ve had a fantastic time here at Arsenal and I am proud of what we have achieved. This has been the hardest professional decision of my life, as I absolutely love this job and this club, the club I have supported all my life. I’m hugely grateful to the club for their unrelenting support during my time here and in understanding and respecting my decision.
In a recent article, I wrote that I felt that Arsenal were sleepwalking out of the Champions League. While I have been proved slightly wrong as the club have turned their fortunes around and have Champions League qualification in their own hands, I still don’t feel that all was quite right at the club and a refresh was needed within the club.
I am not the sort of person who wants to see managers booted out of clubs, especially ones that have got their sides playing the sort of exceptional football that Joe did with Arsenal, but I think that a change at the top will refresh the club going into next season.
Montemurro continued to say, “I’m hugely grateful to the club for their unrelenting support during my time here and in understanding and respecting my decision. My focus now is helping the team to complete the season strongly and finishing as high as possible in the WSL, leaving the club in good shape for the future.”
Arsenal Chief Executive, Vinai Venkatesham, said: “We are all disappointed that Joe has decided to leave at the end of the season, but we fully understand his reasons. Joe has made a huge impact during his time with us and we look forward to building on his legacy and taking the club to more success in the future. The women’s game is entering an exciting new era and thanks to Joe’s outstanding work, Arsenal is well placed to be as much a force in the future as it has been in the past.”
