Brady to leave Arsenal academy next year

Arsenal have indicated they are anxious to retain the services of Liam Brady in a new capacity after it was announced that the Irish football legend will step down as head of the club’s youth academy in May 2014.

According to the club, Brady, 56, who starred for the Gunners in the 1970s, has “given early notification of his desire to leave his role in order to help recruit a successor and ensure an orderly handover period.”

During his time as Arsenal’s head of youth development and the academy, Brady was responsible for developing numerous professional players including Jack Wilshere, Kieran Gibbs and Ashley Cole.

The club said yesterday that they will be discussing potential roles with Brady to ensure he stays involved, with some speculation suggesting he could be retained in a scouting capacity.

Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis said: “Liam has a deep understanding of what it takes to discover and develop a talented youngster into someone who can perform at the highest level. He has made a massive contribution to Arsenal Football Club. It will be difficult to find a worthy successor but we will be looking for someone who can build on what Liam and his team have created.”

Dubliner Brady started his career with Arsenal as a schoolboy in 1971, making his professional debut in 1973. The following year, he made his senior debut for Ireland, going on to become one of the country’s most celebrated players.

He also played for Italian clubs Juventus, Sampdoria, Internazionale and Ascoli before ending his career at West Ham United. He then managed Celtic and Brighton before taking over Arsenal’s academy.

More recently, Brady was part of Giovanni Trapattoni’s management team for the 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign and he has also developed a successful sideline career as a football analyst for RTÉ.