Arsenal legend joins QPR coaching team after 30 years with Gunners | OneFootball

QPR have announced the addition of former Arsenal player and coach Steve Bould as their new Head of Defensive Coaching.

Photo via Twitter / ArsenalAcademy

After 11 seasons with Arsenal as a player, Steve Bould went on to do a lot of work with the club in a coaching capacity. He led the Arsenal u18s to multiple trophies, he worked as the club’s assistant manager, and most recently he led the u23s for a couple of years.

In all, Bould spent around 30 years at Arsenal, but he ended his association with the club in 2021.

A year later, Bould became head coach of Belgian club Lommel SK, a position he held for the next two-and-a-half years. But after they parted ways in January, the 62-year-old was available for a new role this summer.

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James McNicholas and David Ornstein reported for The Athletic on Wednesday afternoon that Bould was set to join Queens Park Rangers in a role focused on developing young defenders.

QPR reportedly believe there’s a scarcity of high potential young defenders in Europe’s top leagues at the moment, and the addition of Bould could help them exploit that gap in the market.

QPR have since confirmed on their club website that Bould will join the club as their Head of Defensive Coaching and as a first-team coach.

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“I’m delighted,” Bould said. “I think it’s a great opportunity because number one, and I don’t say this lightly, QPR is a great football club and always has been.

“Loftus Road is a great ground and the club has a real loyal following. I’ve looked around today and I can see that there’s a real buzz about the place. The training ground is fantastic, the whole set-up is.”

As for his priorities at his new club, Bould had a few goals in mind.

“Firstly, the first team defensively to become better,” he said. “If the individuals within that squad can get better defensively, that’s the number one priority.

“Secondly, I want the younger players further down the line to become great players or great defenders.

“That’s the brief. It’s a big brief and I’m looking forward to it immensely.”