Alenichev in Frame as Arsenal Tula Seek New Coach

Dmitry Gunko has left his post as head coach of Tula's Arsenal, and Dmitry Alenichev is among the candidates being lined up to replace him.

Gunko departed after a 0:1 defeat to Tekstilshchik in the fourth round of the regional path of the Fonbet Cup, a result that ended Arsenal's run in the competition. With the First League included, the side has now gone four matches without a win. According to a number of sources, Gunko made the decision himself and informed Tula region governor Dmitry Milyaev, who accepted the resignation.

Arsenal sat tenth in the First League table with 12 points from 10 rounds when Gunko left. Alexander Shmarov, coach of the reserve side Arsenal-2, will take charge of the team for the 11th-round match against SKA-Khabarovsk. The club has said it will name a new head coach shortly.

Gunko had managed the club since June 2025. In 50 matches in charge, Arsenal won 15, drew 18 and lost 17. Earlier in his career he worked with Spartak-2, Khimki, and the Armenian clubs Urartu, Ararat-Armenia and Noah.

Insider Ivan Karpov has named Alenichev as one of the candidates to take over. The 53-year-old has been without a coaching job since 2019, when his last post was with Russia's youth national team. He previously managed Yenisei in Krasnoyarsk and Spartak Moscow, and he already worked at Arsenal once before, from 2011 to 2015, when he led the club into the Russian Premier League.

A return would put Alenichev back in familiar surroundings, at a club he knows well, now searching for a way to arrest its current run of poor form.