Ex-Arsenal coach Bould joins QPR
Former Arsenal player and coach Steve Bould has joined new QPR boss Julien Stephan's backroom team.Bould, who worked under Arsene Wenger and Unai Emery during a seven-year spell at Arsenal, will take on a dual role of first-team coach and head of defensive coaching across all levels with the Hoops.Ex-Rennes boss Stephan was named QPR's new head coach earlier on Wednesday, with Marti Cifuentes' departure announced on Tuesday evening."I'm delighted," Bould told the club website, external. "I think it's a great opportunity because number one, and I don't say this lightly, QPR is a great football club and always has been."Loftus Road is a great ground and the club has a real loyal following."I've looked around today and I can see that there's a real buzz about the place. The training ground is fantastic, the whole set-up is."
'It's a big brief and I'm looking forward to it'
Bould represented Stoke City, Sunderland and the Gunners during a 20-year playing career in which he earned two England caps.The 62-year-old former centre-back won three league titles and two FA Cups with Arsenal, including the double in 1997-98. He also won the League Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup during his 11 years as a player at Highbury.In total, he played 375 times for the Gunners, scoring eight goals, as well as making 211 appearances for Stoke, with six goals.Arsenal won a further three FA Cups during Bould's tenure as assistant manager under Wenger, before reaching the 2019 Europa League final. He also coached in the club's academy and the Under-23s.He was most recently head coach at Lommel in Belgium from 2022 to January this year."Firstly, the first team defensively to become better [is the primary target]. If the individuals within that squad can get better defensively, that's the number one priority," he said."Secondly, I want the younger players further down the line to become great players or great defenders."That's the brief. It's a big brief and I'm looking forward to it immensely."
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