5 months ago
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XAVIER GILBERT’S move to Montego Bay United (MBU) from Arnett Gardens came as a shock to many as Gilbert had become a well-liked figure in the Junglists’ technical area.
However, the head coach explained he leaves the club on good terms after failing to agree a new contract following lengthy negotiations.
Speaking with The Gleaner yesterday, Gilbert explained at the end of the 2024-2025 Jamaica Premier League (JPL) season, he was ready to commit his future to Arnett Gardens following their third-place finish.
In fact, Arnett had thrashed MBU 4-2 in the JPL third-place playoff and Gilbert was ready to turn his attention to the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Club Shield, which Arnett will enter as defending champions.
Those plans, however, fell by the wayside as Gilbert explained, following negotiations with the club, they were unable to find an agreement to extend his stay as head coach.
“I had wanted to agree a new deal with Arnett but it just didn’t materialise,” Gilbert said.
“I’m not going to speak about what caused it and what did not cause it, because at the end of the day, it just didn’t materialise and that is the reality.”
Gilbert had joined the Junglists in August 2023 to replace the outgoing Paul ‘Tegat’ Davis, and led the club to consecutive third-place finishes in the JPL.
Ironically, Davis is again the man who will replace at MBU.
He also guided Arnett to their first-ever hold on the Club Shield when they defeated Antigua and Barbuda’s Grenades FC 1-0 last year.
Gilbert said he will be leaving the club with fond memories as they had given him his first job as head coach in the JPL.
He believes he has left the club on good terms and there are no burnt bridges between himself and Arnett’s executive body.
“I will always respect and appreciate what Arnett Gardens has done for me personally and I really enjoyed my time there. I have gotten tremendous support from the club but it just didn’t work out this time for me,” said Gilbert.
“That is just how life goes and I wish them all the best. Personally, you can never tell what the future holds and as a professional, I always try to ensure that I do things the best way and right way as much as possible.”
Now making the move to the west, Gilbert said he is excited ahead of the new chapter in his storied coaching career.
Gilbert explained he was approached by the club as they had learnt his contract with Arnett was coming to an end.
“It all happened after the season,” he explained. “It came up in casual conversation that I was out of a contract and they asked if I was interested. However, I told them I had to discuss things with Arnett and I had several conversations with Arnett about it.”
Gilbert will officially take the post as MBU head coach on July 1, and is excited ahead of his new position.
He said he was drawn by the club’s ambitions and the groundwork they have put in place to ensure they can be successful in the future.
“I’m excited because of the direction that the club wants to go and the structure that they have in place. That alone is motivation for me to want to work with the organisation.
“I’m looking forward to working with the organisation for sure because of the vision that the club has and you can see the improvements they have made over the last couple of years,” he added.
MBU finished fourth in the JPL in the recently concluded season following a third-place finish in the regular season with 75 points.
MBU last won the JPL title in 2016.
No sooner had Gilbert spoken about leaving on good terms, MBU announced it was also hiring Arnett Gardens assistant coach Garnett Lawrence.
According to MBU chairman, Yoni Epstein, the addition of Lawrence was necessary.
“Building a championship team starts with the technical team and as we as a club get better so will they. We have a solid team with Coach Dillon Thelwell, long-time assistant coach of MBU, goalkeeping coach Loxley Reid and Omar Schoonhoven as strength and conditioning coach. These additions will get us to where we need to be,” said Epstein.
Epstein said Garnett’s appointment has also come because of his proven qualities.
“Garnett has consistently demonstrated strong leadership, strategic vision, and a genuine ability to elevate the teams he works with.”
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