Arsenal legend Tony Adams remains in talks with the Gunners about a coaching job with the under-18s despite Thierry Henry's decision to turn down a similar role, a club source has told ESPN FC.
Adams has been discussing a return to the club he captained for 14 years as part of the academy coaching staff and had been set to possibly work alongside Henry with the under-18s this season.
That dream lineup is no longer possible after Henry turned down a job offer after being told by Arsene Wenger that he had have to give up his role as a Sky Sports pundit.
But an Arsenal source said the possibility of Adams joining as an assistant to under-18s manager Kwame Ampadu is still being discussed and has not been affected by Henry's departure.
Unlike Henry, Adams already has plenty of coaching experience after managing Wycombe Wanderers, Portsmouth and Azerbaijani club Gabala, where he also served as sports director.
He has said he wants a return to coaching and was a candidate for the top job at Danish club Brondby, who ended up hiring Alexander Zorniger instead.
Adams, who also captained England and played alongside Wenger's assistant Steve Bould at Arsenal, would bring a wealth of experience to an academy that has long struggled to produce top-quality defenders.
And the 49-year-old criticised Wenger last year for neglecting the defensive side of the game.
"I think Arsenal have struggled to get the balance right in recent years and this is as far as I will go," he was quoted as telling Inside Futbol.
"I'm saying he [Wenger] has got a great offensive unit, but I think he is neglecting the defensive side and I think that's where the problem lies. If they strengthen that area I think they could go and win the league, but I think that's the error of the team.
"When Sol Campbell and Ashley Cole left they were the last of the old guard who understood how to defend and prioritise that department. I think that when they left there was no-one else that understood that and the club hasn't been the same defensively since they left."