SYDNEY (AP) - Former Australia manager Graham Arnold has signed a three-year deal with Sydney FC, becoming the A-League glamor club’s ninth coach in a decade.
Sydney chief executive Scott Barlow announced Thursday that Arnold, who won an A-League title with Central Coast before moving to Vegalta Sendai in Japan, would fill the job vacated by Frank Farina after the club finished fifth in the 2013-14 season.
“It has always been my dream as a Sydney boy to coach Sydney FC, in my view the biggest club in the country,” Arnold said.
Arnold was Australia’s head coach for the 2007 Asian Cup, and an assistant to Guus Hiddink at the 2006 World Cup and Pim Verbeek at the 2010 World Cup. He was voted A-League manager of the year in 2011-12, but lasted less than five months at Vegalta.
Despite having a vast pool of talent and the funds to sign marquee players including Dwight Yorke and Alessandro Del Piero over the last decade, Sydney has struggled for consistency since winning the inaugural grand final of the relaunched A-League in 2006 under the guidance of Pierre Littbarski.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.