Seaman has sights on Highbury return
David Seaman wants to return to Highbury to become Arsenal’s goalkeeping coach.
The former England keeper stunned the football world by announcing his retirement on Tuesday after deciding the shoulder injury he picked up against Portsmouth last Saturday was going to take too long to heal.
It was not the way Seaman wanted to end an illustrious 23-year career in club football that saw him collect eight major medals with Arsenal and 75 England caps.
However, the Yorkshire-born stopper has no intention of quitting the game entirely and once he is fully recovered from his current ailment has set his sights on rejoining the Gunners.
“I would love to be the Arsenal goalkeeping coach,” the 40-year-old told the BBC.
“I know that offer may never come and sometimes it is a case of taking an opportunity when it is there.
“I worked with Bob Wilson for 15 years and that was great for me. I wouldn’t want to walk away with all the experience I have gained without passing it on to anybody else.
“But first of all I want to make sure my shoulder is right and then we will see what sorts of offers come in.”
It was rumoured that Seaman was offered a coaching role by Arsene Wenger last summer when he was told he would no longer be the Frenchman’s first-choice.
Instead, he opted to join Manchester City and was halfway through a one-year contract when he decided to quit the game.
“It was a lot harder at City than it was at Arsenal, the defence we had at Highbury is legendary,” he said.
“Even so I was enjoying it but it wasn’t going to be worthwhile trying to get fit again for the last month of the season, or possibly even less.
“It’s disappointing that I had to finish earlier than I wanted to but overall I have had a great career.”
Seaman nominated his amazing one-handed save from Sheffield United’s Paul Peschisolido in the FA Cup semi-final at Old Trafford last April as the best of his career and Leeds’ decision to show him the door as a 19-year-old as the worst moment.
And, rather than become irritated that his career will always be synonymous with the gaffes that saw Nayim and Ronaldinho beat him from outrageous distances in major games, Seaman accepts it as part of the job.
“That is the way it goes if you are a goalkeeper,” he said.
“I played really well in the 1995 Cup Winners’ Cup final but it will always be remembered for that one shot.
“If you are going to make it as a keeper you need to be really strong mentally because you will get knives stuck in your back when you make a mistake.”
