Here’s why Ljungberg could only be Arsenal boss until February

Freddie Ljungberg could be forced to give up his role as Arsenal’s interim manager after 12 weeks after he was named as Unai Emery’s short-term replacement.

The Swede has replaced the former Sevilla and Paris Saint-Germain boss Emery, whose Emirates Stadium reign hit a new low on Thursday night when the Gunners lost 2-1 to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League.

Amid fan protests and mounting calls for him to go, Emery was sacked before Sunday’s trip to Norwich City.

Assistant boss Ljungberg takes over temporarily, potentially in partnership with club legend and Arsene Wenger’s former first-team coach Steve Bould.

But given that he seemingly lacks a UEFA Pro Licence, Ljungberg – who does hold a UEFA A Licence – could only manage in the Premier League and European competitions until the end of February before being forced to give up his role.

Ljungberg has done his coaching courses at the Football Association of Wales’s (FAW) highly respected programme, which has also been attended by the likes of Thierry Henry and Mikel Arteta, who is a candidate for the permanent Arsenal role.

Freddie Ljungberg could only be Arsenal boss until February after replacing Unai Emery https://t.co/tkS83KdeiL pic.twitter.com/nfBnkS8JfX

— Mirror Football (@MirrorFootball) November 29, 2019

Read also:Breaking: Unai Emery sacked as Arsenal manager

After Ljungberg was appointed on an interim basis, the Gunners could seek some form of special dispensation if he impresses while in charge.

The FAW opened the application process for the next Pro Licence course this week, and so if Ljungberg has registered then the Premier League are highly likely to allow him to prolong his spell in charge of the Gunners.