South Sydney NRL coach Wayne Bennett call prompted Graham Arnold's Socceroos exit
Graham Arnold has hinted he has more chapters to write in his managerial career after revealing a heart-to-heart with legendary NRL coach Wayne Bennett led to him resigning as Socceroos boss.
Arnold stepped down from his six-year reign in charge of the Australian men’s national team last Friday, with Football Australia moving quickly to replace him with Tony Popovic on a two-year deal.
In his first public comments since his resignation, Arnold told Fox Sports programme The Back Page his decision was the result of several months of doubting his ability to draw the best out of his squad following their Asian Cup quarter-final exit.
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“I’ll have a bit of a break but I’d like to go on a new journey,” Arnold said.
“I’ve done a lot for Australian football, been involved for 40 years and given everything I’ve got.
“It would be nice to go on a new journey. I never had any (offers) before the decision but I just need a few weeks off because for six years it’s been (work) every day.”
Arnold said his decision to quit had parallels with the exit of Ange Postecoglou in 2017 prior to the 2018 World Cup in Russia because “you get worn out from the game here in Australia”.
The 61-year-old has previously been courted for jobs in Major League Soccer in the USA, while the boom in investment in Saudi Arabia could also prove tempting, given his high standing in Asia.
The former Sydney FC boss joked Bennett had offered him the chance to become South Sydney’s goalkicking coach after phoning the rugby league supercoach for advice following the Bahrain loss.
It was then that Bennett questioned whether Arnold retained a drive to succeed and if his players were still responding to his messaging.
“I’ve got a great relationship with Wayne and I always have,” Arnold said.
“The last thing he said to me was, ‘If you had a lemon and you squeezed the lemon, is there any juice left in it?’ I said, ‘No’.
“He said, ‘You’ve answered your own questions and all the best’.”
