{{Short description|French football coach (born 1981)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Nicolas Jover | image = | caption = | full_name = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1981|10|28|df=y}}<ref name="worldfootball.net">{{cite web |url=https://www.worldfootball.net/person/pe906652/ |title=Nicolas Jover |website=worldfootball.net |access-date=15 October 2024}}</ref> | birth_place = Berlin, Germany<ref name="worldfootball.net"/> | currentclub = Arsenal (set-piece coach) }} '''Nicolas Jover''' (born 28 October 1981) is a German-born French football coach who is currently the set-piece coach of {{English football updater|Arsenal}} club Arsenal.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How Nicolas Jover made Arsenal the kings of corners |url=https://www.premierleague.com/news/4187343 |access-date=2024-12-10 |website=www.premierleague.com |language=en}}</ref>
==Coaching career== Born in Berlin, Germany, Jover was raised in France.<ref name="NYT 1">{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5095337/2023/12/20/nicolas-jover-is-a-master-of-deception-and-the-man-behind-arsenals-set-piece-success/ |title=Nicolas Jover is a master of deception and the man behind Arsenal's set-piece success |last=Campbell |first=Jordan |date=20 December 2023 |website=The New York Times |access-date=15 October 2024}}</ref> He moved to Quebec, Canada in his early twenties to study for a sports degree at the University of Sherbrooke,<ref name="TheTimes">{{cite web |url=https://www.thetimes.com/sport/football/article/how-nicolas-jover-transformed-arsenals-set-pieces-mds2vrtzc |title=How Nicolas Jover transformed Arsenal's set pieces |last=Robertson |first=Gregor |date=2 February 2024 |website=The Times |access-date=15 October 2024}}</ref> courtesy of the link between University of Montpellier and Sherbrooke.<ref name="NYT 1"/> During his time there, Jover drew on the influence of North American sports such as the National Football League.<ref name="TheTimes"/> After studying for a master's degree, he joined Dynamik de Sherbrooke, a local amateur club, as their technical director.<ref name="NYT 1"/>
Jover returned to France and joined Montpellier as a video analyst in 2009.<ref name="NYT 1"/><ref name="TheTimes"/> He helped them claim their first Ligue 1 title in the 2011–12 season,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11670/12465120/nicolas-jover-arsenals-set-piece-genius-is-transforming-their-threat-from-dead-ball-situations |title=Nicolas Jover: Arsenal's set-piece 'genius' is transforming their threat from dead-ball situations |last=Wright |first=Nick |date=19 November 2021 |website=Sky Sports |access-date=15 October 2024}}</ref> which saw Montpellier boss René Girard received UNFP Ligue 1 Manager of the Year<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unfp.org/a-la-une/article/le-palmares-complet-14052012-6476.html |title=UNFP: Trophées UNFP du football: Le palmarès complet... |date=14 May 2012 |publisher=Union Nationale des Footballeurs Professionnels |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140303055426/http://www.unfp.org/a-la-une/article/le-palmares-complet-14052012-6476.html |archive-date=3 March 2014 |language=fr}}</ref> and striker Olivier Giroud was named the league's top scorer by the Ligue de Football Professionnel.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lfp.fr/ligue1/article/olivier-giroud-couronne.htm |title=Olivier Giroud couronné |date=20 May 2012 |website=Ligue de Football Professionnel |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120624020015/http://www.lfp.fr/ligue1/article/olivier-giroud-couronne.htm |archive-date=24 June 2012 |language=fr}}</ref> While working at Montpellier, he also took a match analyst role for Croatia for a brief spell in 2013.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://metro.co.uk/2024/02/24/meet-arsenals-set-piece-coach-nicolas-jover-secret-dead-ball-guru-20341678/ |title=Meet Arsenal's set-piece coach Nicolas Jover – the guru behind their dead-ball dominance |last=Thomas-Humphreys |first=Harry |date=24 February 2024 |publisher=Metro |access-date=15 October 2024}}</ref>
Jover moved to England as a set-piece coach of Dean Smith at Brentford from July 2016,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/article/2024/may/03/identify-weaknesses-and-exploit-them-the-rise-of-the-set-piece-coach |title='Identify weaknesses and exploit them': the rise of the set-piece coach |last=Aarons |first=Ed |date=3 May 2024 |work=The Guardian |access-date=12 October 2024}}</ref> and was part of Smith's successor Thomas Frank's coaching team until June 2019.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/arsenal-mancity-haaland-nicolas-jover-31140038 |title=Who is Nicolas Jover? Arsenal's ex-Man City coach in Erling Haaland and Kyle Walker bust-up |last=Marsh |first=Dan |date=9 October 2023 |website=Daily Mirror |access-date=15 October 2024}}</ref> In the 2018–19 season he shared the same office with goalkeeping coach Iñaki Caña,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.brentfordfc.com/en/news/article/thomas-frank-actions-speak-louder-than-words_393429 |title=Thomas Frank: Actions speak louder than words |date=17 May 2019 |website=Brentford F.C. |access-date=12 October 2024}}</ref> who would join Arsenal in December 2019.<ref name="Coaching team AFC">{{cite web |url=https://www.arsenal.com/news/coaching-team-named |title=Coaching team named |date=24 December 2019 |website=Arsenal F.C. |access-date=12 October 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/50912761 |title=Mikel Arteta: Arsenal's new boss encouraged by early signs from players |date=26 December 2019 |website=BBC Sport |access-date=12 October 2024}}</ref>
In July 2019, Manchester City appointed Jover as an assistant to Pep Guardiola, specializing in set-pieces,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/4117200/2023/01/25/arsenal-corners-jover-set-pieces-title-race/ |title=Arsenal's clever corners and their importance in the Premier League title race |last=Walid |first=Ahmed |date=25 January 2023 |website=The New York Times |access-date=15 October 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.premierleague.com/news/3990121 |title=How Nicolas Jover has made Arsenal the kings of set-pieces |last=Keble |first=Alex |date=2 May 2024 |website=Premier League |access-date=15 October 2024}}</ref> on the recommendation of Mikel Arteta who was the No.2 at the Etihad.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5768479/2024/09/17/arsenal-gamebreaking-goal-gabriel/ |title=Arsenal's game-breaking goals have become a superpower Arteta can rely on |last=Campbell |first=Jordan |date=17 September 2024 |website=The New York Times |access-date=15 October 2024}}</ref><ref name="TheTimes"/> Arteta left Manchester City for the Arsenal's head coach job in December 2019.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.arsenal.com/news/mikel-arteta-joining-our-new-head-coach |title=Mikel Arteta joining as our new head coach |date=20 December 2019 |website=Arsenal F.C. |access-date=15 October 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/50817660 |title=Mikel Arteta: Arsenal appoint ex-captain as head coach |date=20 December 2019 |website=BBC Sport |access-date=15 October 2024}}</ref> In the 2020–21 season, Jover helped Manchester City claim the Premier League title and reach the Champions League final.<ref name="NYT 1"/> He left his role in June 2021, when his contract expired at the end of the month.<ref name="NYT 1"/><ref name="Evening Standard">{{cite web |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/arsenal-andreas-georgson-malmo-man-city-b944119.html |title=Arsenal hire former Man City coach Nicolas Jover as Andreas Georgson leaves for Malmo |last=Collings |first=Simon |date=5 July 2021 |website=Evening Standard |access-date=12 October 2024}}</ref>
On 5 July 2021, Jover was appointed as set-piece coach to manager Mikel Arteta at Arsenal,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/4206997/2021/07/05/arsenal-appoint-set-piece-coach-nicolas-jover-from-manchester-city/ |title=Arsenal appoint set-piece coach Nicolas Jover from Manchester City |last=de Roché |first=Art |date=5 July 2021 |website=The New York Times |access-date=12 October 2024}}</ref><ref name="Evening Standard"/> working alongside assistant coaches Albert Stuivenberg, Steve Round, Carlos Cuesta and Miguel Molina, and goalkeeping coach Iñaki Caña.<ref name="Coaching team AFC"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.arsenal.com/news/coaching-and-backroom-team |title=Coaching and backroom team |date=28 August 2020 |website=Arsenal F.C. |access-date=12 October 2024}}</ref> In the 2023–24 season with Jover's help, Arsenal scored twenty set-piece goals (excluding penalties) in the Premier League, the most in the division. Sixteen of those came from corners, matching the record in a single Premier League campaign.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://theanalyst.com/na/2024/05/arsenal-best-team-premier-league-2023-24/ |title=Arsenal Were the Best Team in the Premier League This Season, but Even That Wasn't Enough |last=Sisneros |first=Matt |date=19 May 2024 |website=The Analyst |access-date=16 October 2024}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{WorldFootball.net}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jover, Nicolas}} Category:1981 births Category:Living people Category:Sportspeople from Berlin Category:French football managers Category:Montpellier HSC non-playing staff Category:French expatriate football managers Category:Brentford F.C. non-playing staff Category:Manchester City F.C. non-playing staff Category:Arsenal F.C. non-playing staff Category:Expatriate football managers in Croatia Category:Expatriate football managers in England Category:French expatriate sportspeople in Canada Category:French expatriate sportspeople in Croatia Category:French expatriate sportspeople in England Category:Université de Sherbrooke alumni