Ted Lasso is the favourite to take over from Mikel Arteta, with his trusted Coach Beard by his side.
At least that's what FourFourTwo is gleaning from our chat with Brendan Hunt, who plays the AFC Richmond assistant manager in Apple TV+'s hit show. Hunt may be from Chicago but actually supports the north Londoners – and has done since the 90s.
The self-professed Gooner has told FFT that plenty of Brits didn't recognise him while filming the earlier seasons of the show – but with Ted Lasso featuring a cameo last season from Arsenal legend Thierry Henry, it's safe to say Hunt has made it, now.
“During series one and two, people weren’t sure who we were,” admits series co-creator Brendan Hunt, who plays the aforementioned Coach Beard. “We got the impression that the British hadn’t taken to it.”
Like Lasso himself, these Americans were entering unknown territory, but Hunt is a secret weapon, on-screen and off it. While the brilliantly deadpan Beard steals scenes, Brendan is the on-set football enthusiast, itching to get things right. So, how did this Chicagoan end up being a massive Gooner?
“I’d been working over in Amsterdam and became a huge fan of Dennis Bergkamp,” explains Hunt. Nick Hornby’s Arsenal-focused Fever Pitch followed, naturally. And then, as Hunt recalls now, “I saw [Nwankwo] Kanu’s brilliant hat-trick against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in 1999, including that amazing third goal, and that was it.”
Hunt was particularly thrilled to discover Lasso-loving quotes from Gary Lineker and Jurgen Klopp, early doors, after a “bit of reticence came from certain members of the English soccer media”.
It's safe to say that Lasso and co. are famous enough to manage Arsenal, now…
