Arsenal have appointed Hussein Isa as an attacking-phase coach, as per recent reports.
The Gunners have enjoyed a stellar start to the season, currently finding themselves top of the Premier League table, five points clear of second-placed Manchester City with both sides having played 17 times so far. Mikel Arteta 's men will be hoping to continue their fine form this evening when they take on Oxford United in the third round of the FA Cup.
Ahead of the north Londoners' trip to the Kassam Stadium, The Athletic have claimed that former none-league midfielder Isa will assume a position with the club this summer ahead of the 2023/24 campaign. The 34-year-old is set to work with Arsenal's first team, as well as top talents from the club's famous Hale End academy, to help improve the technical aspects of their game.
READ MORE: Arsenal handed major Emile Smith Rowe injury boost ahead of FA Cup clash vs Oxford
Isa, who has been Lionel Messi's body double for some commercial shoots, has previously worked as a trainee for the Gunners' local rivals Tottenham Hotspur before stays with both QPR and Crystal Palace. The appointment suggests that Arsenal boss Arteta is keen to improve his side's attacking output in the long term, previously admitting that he wants his side to score 100 goals a season.
“To be with the top teams this season you need to score 90 to 100 goals at least,” the Spaniard said in April of last year. “Somehow you need those goals in the team.
"Don’t ask me how, but you need them. They have to come. That contribution, how it’s done and how possible it is to happen, you have to find the right pieces to do it. But it’s a non-negotiable.”
The Gunners have netted 40 times in the league so far this term, a number that only Pep Guardiola's City have bettered.
READ NEXT:
Mikel Arteta hints Mykhaylo Mudryk's dream Arsenal move can happen after supporting player power
Every word Mikel Arteta said on Arsenal's Oxford test, transfer latest and touchline behaviour
Mikel Arteta delivers update on Emile Smith Rowe's fitness ahead of Oxford vs Arsenal
Diego Simeone makes Joao Felix demand as Edu continues negotiations over £16m Arsenal loan deal
Arsenal news and transfers LIVE: The latest news, rumours and gossip from the Emirates Stadium
