ARSENAL has announced the appointment of Mehmet Ali as Under 21 head coach on Monday.
Per Mertesacker said: “Mehmet also really impressed us in the last six months and we knew that he was the right person to take on the Under-21s role.”
Ali replaces Kevin Betsy, who was recently appointed Crawley manager.
Ali only arrived at the club from Reading in January as Betsy’s assistant, but Luke Hobbs feels that his significant experience coupled with how quickly he settled into life at London Colney made him a perfect fit for his new role.
“Mehmet is a coach that we’ve tracked for a long time,” Hobbs said. “He’s worked in Category One academy football for many years and he’s been a PDP under-23 head coach, so when we appointed him as Kevin’s assistant, we knew we were appointing somebody that had lots of academy experience.
“We knew we were appointing a really good person and a really good coach and over the last six months, his connection with the staff at Colney, his relationship with the players and his attention to detail on the grass has been second to none. So when Kevin and Dan informed us that they were leaving, myself and Per had every confidence that Mehmet was able to step in.”
Former u18 assistant coach Max Porter will join Ali as the new u21 assistant coach.
“It’s a great honour and privilege to be a part of this club and lead our Under-21s,” Ali said.
“I’ve already had six good months at the club, so I’ve got a sound understanding of the players.
“I’m now really excited and looking forward to continue working with the group and playing my part in developing strong young Gunners.”
Before join the premier legal team Ali joined Reading FC in the summer of 2019, initially as U23s assistant, before taking the main role at the start of the 2020/21 season after Scott Marshall departed. Prior to this, Ali was U16s Lead at Tottenham.
The former Anseral player Jack Wilshere has also been given the position of Head Coaches of the under-21s and under-18s respectively.