Signing Raul Sanllehi shows Arsenal are finally revamping their recruitment - but there remains work to do

Sanllehi moves to the Emirates as the club's new head of football relations, an experienced closer who knows how to get transfers over the line

Raul Sanllehi, left, has joined Arsenal as head of football relations (Getty)

Arsenal finally appointed a director of football on Tuesday, but he will not be called that at the Emirates. It was Raul Sanllehi’s job title at FC Barcelona for nine years but when he starts work in north London in February he will be the club’s new head of football relations. But the rather institutional title should not disguise just what a serious operator he is.

Not many officials spend such a long time in such a big job at a club like Barcelona. Sanllehi had been an executive at Nike, working on the FC Barcelona brand, for five years before joining the club in 2007. That was in the up-swing of the Joan Laporta era, when his dynamic young board turned the club on its head, with plenty of thanks to Ferran Soriano, Txiki Begiristain and other current members of the Manchester City hierarchy.

In the summer of 2008 – when Laporta and co appointed Pep Guardiola – Sanllehi was promoted to director of football, the job he held until Monday. It was not his job to pick players – that was Begiristrain at the start, then others – but to complete negotiations. He was a closer who could get deals over the line.

What especially stands out is that when the Laporta era ended in 2010, and he was replaced by his opponent Sandro Rosell, Sanllehi was retained. He, like Rosell, had worked for Nike, and he also had excellent contacts in South America. He was one of the most important men involved with the signing of Neymar from Santos at 2013 which, despite how everything turned out, was still a triumph at the time. Even when Rosell resigned in disgrace and was replaced by Josep Maria Bartomeu, Sanllehi retained his role.

So when Sanllehi joins Arsenal, his job will not be to find players. That is why Arsenal recruited Sven Mislintat, the famous Borussia Dortmund scout who picked up so many of their great buys over the last few years. Wenger explained at his press conference on Tuesday morning that with Steve Rowley’s role changing they needed a new elite international scout.

“Steve Rowley yes will stay with us, and work more with the more part-time on a youth level,” Wenger explained. “And we need another scout. Today we have a structure in England, we know everybody. We have taken somebody who has international experience and that is why we made that decision.”

Raul Sanllehi, second left, has worked at Nike and Barcelona (Bongarts)

Over the last few years it has been the job of Dick Law, working alongside Wenger, to help get transfers over the line. But he is retiring and Arsenal need a replacement. “Dick Law is retiring, and is going back to the States,” Wenger said hours before Sanllehi’s arrival was confirmed. “He is still with us for a while, but we look for somebody as well who has experience in negotiations.” That somebody is Sanllehi, who will be working closely with Wenger. “With me,” Wenger snapped, when asked about the role. “Ivan [Gazidis] has nothing to do with buying players.”

Arsenal made an appointment in this field earlier this year with Huss Fahmy, the city-trained lawyer who ran the legal and commercial operation for Team Sky. He is working on contracts for Arsenal and Sanllehi will work with him. “Dick is still working with us on cases where we need him,” Wenger explained. “We have Huss [Fahmy], who is top drawer, but has just joined us one year ago, but is doing an excellent job, I rate him highly. But there is still a need.”

So this completes the Arsenal recruitment team, Sanllehi, Mislintat and Fahmy, the men to sign the next generation of Arsenal players. This is what Ivan Gazidis always wanted at the club, a new set of recruitment specialists to take the club forward. This was the subject of so much internal tension this year as Gazidis and Wenger wrangled over the future of the club.

Wenger may have won at the time, signing a new two-year deal and not having to work with a director of football this summer. But now a man with experience in that very job is joining, even if that is not his title here. There is an experienced elite recruitment team here, appointed by the chief executive, just as there would be at most other top clubs. Arsenal’s outmoded structure is being brought into modern lines, although there are still changes left to make.