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Arsenal suspend two coaches after allegations of bullying

A general view of the match action at the Emirates Stadium (pic Mark Kerton/PA) PA Wire/PA Images

Arsenal have suspended two coaches pending an internal investigation after allegations of bullying were levelled at them.

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The pair are believed to be Arsenal U23 coach Steve Gatting, and his assistant Carl Laraman, who were not in the dugout during the team’s Premier League International Cup final against Porto on Tuesday evening at the Emirates.

The pair’s absence raised eyebrows among the crowd after Arsenal U18 coach Kwame Ampadu stepped up to coach the side in their absence as the talented youngsters lost 1-0 in a disjointed display.

According to a well-placed source inside the club, both Gatting and Laraman had been placed on a leave of absence after being investigated by the club, having been accused of bullying young players.

The source told the Gazette about the recent claims, saying: “They are under investigation for complaints of bullying.

“That’s why Kwame did the U23 final. I’m surprised more people didn’t pick on the fact he did the final instead of Gatting and Laraman.”

An Arsenal spokesman told the Gazette: “We have suspended two coaches and launched an investigation following complaints from some players.

“These are private matters and we will not discuss any further detail.”

The U23 side won the Premier League 2 title – the club’s first since it was rebranded in 2012. The youngsters clinched the trophy in style after netting more goals than any other side in the division.

The talented teenagers tasted defeat on only six occasions, winning 13 of their 22 league games, including the final four matches of the season to seal the title in the season’s final match at West Ham’s London Stadium on the evening the club announced Arsene Wenger was to step down.

There is no suggestion Wenger knew anything about the claims.