Crawley bring in ex-Arsenal keeper Mannone as coach

Vito Mannone had spells at Arsenal, Sunderland and Reading during his time in England [Getty Images] Crawley Town have appointed former Arsenal and Sunderland goalkeeper Vito Mannone as a player-coach. The 38-year-old will take charge of the League Two side's goalkeeping department and is also available for selection. Mannone, who played almost 130 games in the Premier League and Championship, replaces Kris Dixon, who left the club last week after two years. The Italian last played a senior game in May 2024 for French side Lille in Ligue 1 and has most recently been working for Brighton & Hove Albion as an academy goalkeeper coach. "To be able to add to my coaching staff, to the club, someone of Vito's calibre is a credit in itself," Crawley manager Colin Kazim-Richards told the club website. "His knowledge, his footballing experiences, playing at the highest level with some of the best coaches in terms of standards - what it actually takes and ideas coming from a country that creates amazing goalkeepers - has really taken us up another level. "Vito comes with an intensity, and it's something I'm looking forward to in terms of creating a relationship and benefiting from his skills from a goalkeeper's perspective, and also as a person. "As soon as we spoke, I knew he was the right man, so I can't wait to work with him."