Arsenal have announced the departure of head of football Raul Sanllehi.
The Spanish chief has spent three years with the Gunners, having joined in 2017 following his exit as director of football at Barcelona – a position he held for 14 years.
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It hasn’t worked for him in north London though, where he has been replaced by managing director Vinai Venkatesham, who has stepped up into his role.
The decision comes following reports of an internal review over last summer’s club-record signing of Nicolas Pepe from Lille.
Sanllehi was behind the £72million signing, and questions have since been raised over that fee after the Frenchman managed just eight goals in his debut season for the Gunners.
It was claimed Arsenal had began a review over whether they had paid too much for the 25-year-old, and now Sanllehi – who was heavily criticised by Gunners legend Tony Adams on talkSPORT – has lost his job.
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In a statement issued on Saturday morning, club owners Stan and Josh Kroenke said: “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.”
There appears to be no hard feelings from Sanllehi, though, as he thanked Arsenal for the ‘honour’ of being able to serve them, wished the club well for the future and said he’s now looking forward to a break from all things football.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
And Venkatesham, who has been at Arsenal since 2010 and now steps into Sanllehi’s shoes, added: “I am thankful to Stan, Josh and the rest of the Arsenal Board for their trust in me. I will miss working closely with my colleague and friend Raul, but I am looking forward to this new challenge.
“There is much work to do to return Arsenal to the top of the game where we belong, which is what our fans rightly demand. While this will not happen overnight, I believe we have many of the critical ingredients to do so. There are many positives to build on across the club.
“While football faces uncertainties ahead as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, I am confident Arsenal will emerge strongly and look forward with confidence.”
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