Arsenal legend Kelly Smith MBE has been appointed as an assistant head coach at the club on a permanent basis.
FAWSL Full-Time were informed of the news via an official club press release from The Gunners this morning.
Smith spent a short spell with Arsenal last season as she got some coaching experience under her belt. She worked with the club’s attacking players and she will pick up similar tasks again this season.
The 44-year-old is one of Arsenal’s all-time legends. She scored 130 goals in just 150 games for the North Londoners across three separate spells while she won five league titles, four Women’s FA Cups, three FA Women’s Community Shields, the Premier League Cup and the UEFA Women’s Cup. Smith will now be hoping to win further honours with Arsenal as a coach.
After being appointed assistant coach at Arsenal, Smith said “I grew up an Arsenal fan and was fortunate enough to play for the club for a number of years, so I’m delighted to be back in this capacity – it’s a dream come true for me to be back in this environment.
“I’m really excited to be working with the attacking players in the squad and I want to draw on my experience both at Arsenal and across the game to contribute to us achieving our goals together.”
Arsenal kick-off the new season with a fixture against Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium next weekend.