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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Jacob Leeks

Four Arsenal Invincibles who have become managers as Kolo Toure takes Wigan job

Arsenal's Invincibles squad went down in Premier League history and it was clearly a squad full of leaders given how many have since turned to management.

Centre-back Kolo Toure is now the latest to add his name to that list after being appointed as manager of Wigan. Toure made 36 appearances that season and earned his coaching stripes at the Ivory Coast national team, Celtic and Leicester.

He is the fifth member of the Invincibles squad to become a manager thanks to his move to the Latics. Here, Mirror Football looks at the other four bosses from that squad and how they have fared.

Patrick Vieira

The first name that springs to mind when talking about members of the Invincibles who turned to management. Patrick Vieira took charge of Manchester City's reserve side in 2013, before being appointed to his first senior job at New York City in 2015.

He spent two years at the MLS side, leading them to their first ever playoff appearance before joining Nice in 2018. That spell was not quite as successful and he was sacked in December 2020, after a run of five defeats in succession.

It only took him six months to return to the dugout, replacing Roy Hodgson at Crystal Palace. Vieira has since forged a reputation as one of the Premier League's brightest young managers, with his possession-based style leading to impressive results for the Eagles.

HAVE YOUR SAY! Which of the Arsenal Invincibles squad is most likely to return as manager? Comment below.

Freddie Ljungberg

After retiring from playing in 2014, Ljungberg became coach of Arsenal's Under-15s two years later. After just six months in that role, he joined Wolfsburg as an assistant to Andries Jonker.

He only spent six months there before Jonker and his staff were sacked, returning to Arsenal as Under-23 head coach in 2018. After impressing in that role, he was promoted to Unai Emery's first-team coaching staff a year later.

When Emery was sacked that November, Ljungberg was appointed interim boss, overseeing six games in total, winning one. He reverted to his assistant role for the rest of that season, before departing in search of more opportunities, though is yet to take another coaching job.

Thierry Henry

The star of the Invincibles team was Thierry Henry, but his managerial career has not been as successful. After coaching in Arsenal's academy, he joined the Belgium national team as an assistant in 2016, helping them to finish third at the 2018 World Cup.

He left that October to replace Leonardo Jardim at former club Monaco, though his arrival met with a mixed reaction from fans and the media. It took him more than a month to win his first game as the Ligue 1 side flirted with the relegation zone.

And despite bringing in Cesc Fabregas in the January transfer window, he was sacked after just 20 games in charge. He then took over at Montreal Impact, leading them to the MLS play-offs, before resigning in February 2021 and rejoining Belgium's coaching staff.

Thierry Henry endured a difficult spell as Monaco manager (GETTY)

Sol Campbell

An integral member of Arsenal's defence during their famous title win, Campbell took his first steps into management by joining Trinidad and Tobago as assistant manager in 2017.

After just under 18 months he was appointed manager of Macclesfield Town in what many viewed as an impossible job with the Silkmen rock bottom of League Two. But Campbell was able to mastermind a stunning turnaround, winning eight games to secure safety on the final day.

He left at the end of that season as the club struggled financially before taking over at Southend United. He was unable to recreate his magic at Roots Hall and they were relegated from League One, with Campbell leaving his job.

Sol Campbell masterminded a remarkable great escape at Macclesfield Town (EMPICS Sport)
Ashley Cole is one of a number of the Invincibles squad working as an assistant coach (Everton FC via Getty Images)

Those starting out as coaches

Some of the Invincibles are also just starting out as coaches, or have experience of working as assistants. Jens Lehmann has been an assistant at both the Gunners and Ausburg, while Graham Stack has served as goalkeeper coach at Eastleigh, Watford and currently Cardiff City.

Ashley Cole has also held a number of roles, working as a coach at Derby, Chelsea and England Under 21s before joining Frank Lampard's staff at Everton. Denis Bergkamp meanwhile spent time as an academy coach at Ajax before a six-year spell as an assistant for their senior team.

Finally, Francis Jeffers held a role in Everton's academy before joining Ipswich Town as first-team coach in May 2021. He was sacked that December and is now a coach at National League side Oldham Athletic.

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