Arsenal head of football Raul Sanllehi will LEAVE the north London club… just a day after it was revealed they were ‘investigating £72million signing of Nicolas Pepe’ and overhauling their transfer strategy
- Arsenal head of football Raul Sanhelli will leave his role, the club have confirmed
- It was also announced managing director Vinai Venkatesham will replace him
- The move comes as Arsenal plan to overhaul their under-fire transfer strategy
- The club will investigate past failings and probe into the signing of Nicolas Pepe
Arsenal have announced their head of football Raul Sanllehi will leave the club with immediate effect.
It was also confirmed that managing director Vinai Venkatesham will replace him as Arsenal press forward with the radical overhaul of their recruitment department.
Sanllehi joined the North London outfit in February 2018, having previously worked at Barcelona.
Arsenal have announced their head of football Raul Sanllehi will leave with immediate effect
A statement published on behalf of owners Stan and Josh Kroenke reads: ‘Raul has made a big contribution during his time with us and will always be part of the Arsenal family. We thank him for all his hard work and expertise and wish him every future success.
‘We have no doubt that Vinai is the right person to take the club forward. He has shown outstanding leadership during the current crisis and is held in high regard internally and externally. We know everyone will rally round him so we can move forward successfully.’
The surprise move comes after it was revealed Arsenal will trigger a wide-sweeping probe into their under-fire recruitment over recent years.
Current chief Vinai Venkatesham (L) will replace Sanllehi as part of the recruitment overhaul
Arsenal will look at their £72m signing of Nicolas Pepe as part of a probe into the department
It has been reported that the club will look into the £72million signing of struggling winger Nicolas Pepe from Lille last summer.
Technical director Edu will head up the investigation with Arsenal keen to determine whether they overspent on the Ivory Coast international.
The Emirates hierarchy are hopeful of improving their transfer operations and avoiding repeating past mistakes.
Sanllehi has become part of the changes in the department, and follows scouts Francis Cagigao, Brian McDermott and Brian Clark through the exit door. The trio had been let go by the club due to financial struggles stemming from the coronavirus pandemic.
Francis Cagigao had been another shock departure due to Arsenal’s coronavirus cost-cutting
But the departure of Sanllehi is an amicable one. The 53-year-old wrote: ‘I’m proud and pleased with the contribution I’ve made at Arsenal over the past three years, and look forward to enjoying the club’s future success. Arsenal is a true footballing institution.
‘I am proud to have been part of its history and I thank Stan and Josh Kroenke for this opportunity. Working with Vinai, we have built a top team for the future. Mikel has made an extremely positive impact since his arrival and has formed a strong team with our technical director, Edu.
‘The academy is in very safe hands with Per, and Huss Fahmy is a talented and highly-capable leader of our football operations. Personally, I now look forward to taking some time off and spending time with family and friends before setting to work on a new challenge and cheering Arsenal on to great things.’
