Mikel Arteta’s backroom staff team at Arsenal has seen several key changes over the last year, and there has now been another departure.
Arteta’s assistant Steve Round departed Arsenal last year after disagreeing with the decision to drop goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, whilst club doctor Gary O’Driscoll also joined Manchester United.
Arsenal do have a strong roster of backroom staff supporting Arteta, with Albert Stuivenberg also linked with managerial jobs elsewhere.
Some of Arteta’s unusual coaching methods have been questioned, with the manager hiring pickpockets at a club dinner to teach his squad the importance of being alert.
His methods clearly work, as he has helped build an Arsenal team capable of challenging for the title, but he has now lost another key member of staff.
Arsenal head of methodology Kevin Balvers departs for PSV Eindhoven
In the summer of 2021 Arteta took the unusual step of hiring a head of methodology in what was a brand new role at the club.
In came Kevin Balvers, who has previously worked at Barcelona and Malmo FF, and he was given a role which helped revitalise the club after Arsenal crashed out of Europe for the first time in over 20 years.
However, he has now departed, with Balvers joining Dutch Champions PSV Eindhoven. According to the Daily Mail, Balvers had a role which included “shaping first-team analysis in terms of data as well as identifying best practices and trends from tactical, technical, performance and recruitment perspective.”
He has now taken up a similar role at PSV, ending a three-year stay at the Emirates Stadium.
Kevin Balvers joined Arsenal at a crucial time in Arteta’s career
When Balvers joined Arsenal in July 2021, Arteta was under serious pressure. The squad was fractured, and a poor campaign meant that he needed help.
This ended up being a transformative summer for Arsenal. Ben White and Martin Odegaard were amongst the summer arrivals as Arteta and Edu Gaspar injected fresh life into the club.
This helped build a younger squad, and Arteta’s unusual methods began, as he tried to help the squad bond and gel together.
Balvers was a key figure in the background, and this was the season in which Arteta’s project truly came to life, as the side showed signs of improvement before the transformation into the team which has become title challengers in the last two years, and it is unclear if Balvers will be replaced this summer.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
