Damien Duff Had Major Issue With Arsenal Conduct After Atletico Win

While the league has continued to grow since his departure in 2025, there is no doubt that Damien Duff has been a significant loss to the League of Ireland.

The Dubliner dominated headlines throughout his time at Shelbourne, leading the club to an unlikely league title victory. Duff would then make the shocking decision to leave Tolka Park last summer.

There has been plenty of speculation about his next move in the time since his exit from Shels. Duff has previously suggested that he would not be keen on working abroad for family reasons, with it being suggested that another stint in the League of Ireland with the likes of Shelbourne, Derry City, or Shamrock Rovers could be a possibility.

Damien Duff addresses coaching future

Damien Duff stayed largely out of the limelight since his spell at Shelbourne came to an end, although he has made a return to our television screens in recent times. He recently joined Virgin Media on their League of Ireland coverage, also popping up on Premier Sports this week.

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Being part of their punditry team for the game between Arsenal and Atletico Madrid, conversation would turn to Duff’s own future prior to kick off. Speaking on Premier Sports, he revealed that he had recently visited Brentford and hinted that he may now end up looking abroad for his next coaching role.

Damien Duff speaks about his visit to Brentford to see his former teammate Keith Andrews, and what could be next for him as a coach 🔴⚪

“I have to start probably looking outside the country” 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/FEaIlnoPbR

— Premier Sports Ireland (@PremSportsIRL) May 5, 2026

I’d be poor at leaving the house and going to football clubs, so I had gone absolutely nowhere. But I did reach out to Keith [Andrews] because I find it a fascinating place…

Listen, I have to start probably looking outside the country, because there’s not a big industry here as we know. I’ve cut my ties with many people.

There’s not a lot of football jobs or coaching jobs in the country. The longer the year has gone on, I belong on the grass. Whether it be here, there as in the UK, or somewhere else, I don’t know.

Damien Duff questions Arsenal conduct

When it came to last night’s game, it seemed that none of Duff, Kenny Cunningham, or Shay Given were impressed with Arsenal’s performance during their victory over Atletico Madrid.

Bukayo Saka’s first half goal was ultimately enough to secure their place in the final, leading to some emotional scenes after the final whistle.

That was something that Duff was not overly impressed with, believing that Mikel Arteta’s side were close to going over the top with their reaction to the result.

“I still don’t think they’ll win it this year either” 🗣️

Kenny Cunningham, Damien Duff and @No1shaygiven react to Arsenal reaching the Champions League Final 🔴🏆 pic.twitter.com/gDUkXxaaLq

— Premier Sports Ireland (@PremSportsIRL) May 5, 2026

I don’t know. You’ve got to enjoy these nights, but not for too long for me. They need to come back down to earth.

Even this dancing and celebrating, god knows how long it will go into the night. They’ve got a big weekend ahead and they need their energy and even more importantly their emotional energy. You don’t want to be too flat because it’s a London derby…

That’s just who I am. I know what can happen…

The one thing I will say is fair play to Arteta. Like him or loathe him, he gets an awful lot of stick. I’m pleased for him because you can see he absolutely dedicates his life to his profession 24/7.

Sometimes you get your just rewards. Granted he hasn’t won anything yet. For sure the best team won tonight, I thought it was a fascinating game.

But on the flip side, it was a poor game quality wise.

An interesting take, especially from someone who was so often emotional during his own time as a manager.

Arsenal are likely to enter the final as underdogs, although their battling style is one that could cause an upset against either PSG or Bayern Munich.

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