Ex-Arsenal Captain Tony Adams Named Granada Head Coach

by Pablo MenaApril 10, 2017, 5:27 pmDaily Digest, News, Z-Home Slider >

Tony Adams, a former Arsenal and England captain and defender, has been named head coach of Spanish club Granada until the end of the season.

Ex-Arsenal Defender Tony Adams Named Granada Coach

The 50-year-old replaces Lucas Alcaraz, who was fired on Monday following a 3-1 home loss to Valencia that leaves Granada in 19th (second-to-last) place in La Liga.

Granada released a statement Monday that read: “After evaluating the situation in which the team is and the sensations the team had been showing after recent results, Granada has decided to end the time of Lucas Alcaraz and his coaching staff in charge of the first team.

“In his place, the club place all their confidence in Tony Adams, vice president of DDMC, as head coach of Granada until the end of the season.”

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Adams has been working at Granada since November as vice president of DDMC, the soccer club management company owned by the Spanish team’s president, John Jiang, who is also part-owner of the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves.

His first game in charge will be a home contest against Celta Vigo on Sunday. Granda have seven games remaining this season.

Adams previously served as manager for English clubs Wycombe Wanderers and Portsmouth, and also left Azerbaijan club Gabala in 2011 after just one year in charge.

The former Arsenal star made 669 appearances with the Premier League club between 1983 and 2002, and served as the team’s captain for 14 years. He won 66 England caps.

Former England forward Terry Gibson, 54, has said he is unsure about whether Granda will gain much from having Adams as manager. Gibson played for several Premier League clubs including Tottenham Hotspur, Coventry City, Manchester United and Wimbledon.

Spanish soccer writer Andy West said the following about Granada hiring Adams:

“It would make much more sense for Adams’ new role to be a temporary one, buying some time while the club makes longer-term plans for next season and beyond,” wrote West.

“Certainly, Adams being named permanent manager would not fit very well with the ‘Spanish structure’ he spoke about in his interview last month.

“And until today, everything Adams had said about his role at Granada suggested that he was happy to take a backroom director’s role rather than holding ambitions to become first-team manager, and that remains the most likely scenario beyond the current season.

“But considering his strong relationship with the club’s owner, of course he could end up getting the job on a permanent basis.”

LONDON – DECEMBER 28: Tony Adams the Portsmouth manager shouts instructions from the touchline during the Barclays Premier League match between Arsenal and Portsmouth at the Emirates Stadium on December 28, 2008 in London, England. (Photo by Jamie McDonald/Getty Images)