Arsenal in shock Luis Campos director of football talks as summer transfer window nears opening. (Photo by Xavier Laine/Getty Images)
Arsenal are in the midst of a squad overhaul following a disastrous season, one that will involve a host of players departing and hopefully numerous options arriving. Where there wasn’t expected to be change, despite the desires of many, was higher up. Hence the surprise of the club opening talks with Luis Campos.
Edu is facing a defining summer. Arsenal in general are facing a defining summer. What happens over the course of the following months will shape the outlook of the team moving forward, which will in turn impact the club’s own predicament.
Where the worry lies is in those steering the boat. Mikel Arteta, for all his flaws over the past 18 months, has been granted the chance to continue developing as a coach and manager. He’s shown just enough to encourage supporters that he is talented enough and destined for success.
Nevertheless, this is uncharted territory for him. He’s just completed his first full season as a manager and now he’s tasked with undertaking an entire squad rebuild. Working alongside him is the technical director Edu, who has not covered himself in any glory.
Arsenal in shock Luis Campos director of football talks as summer transfer window nears opening
Another man hugely inexperienced in this particular role, decisions made thus far with close friend Kia Joorabchain – as well as placing further unfair responsibility on Arteta with the move from head coach to manager – offer little reason to trust these two to set Arsenal back on course.
They’re not alone, however, and involved along the way is CEO Vinai Venkatesham, another rookie in his position. Whatever positive feelings there were of him soured rapidly with the hideous Super League involvement. The jury is still out.
This ‘team’, if you like, are making crucial decisions at Arsenal. And, looking back, so many of the mistakes that have been made over the past 18 months (and before but this is the current setup) could have been averted with the help of experience elsewhere. Calls Arteta has made would have been tempered with an authoritative, experienced head elsewhere to offer insight. Handing out stupidly long and financially crippling contracts to 32-year-old‘s simply wouldn’t have happened.
So much could have been avoided, and built on positively, with a director of football. It’s not the model Arsenal were leaning towards, but goodness, it’s one this inexperienced group needs.
As per the reliable Loïc Tanzi, Arsenal are in talks with Luis Campos, who is among the finest there are.
Continued….
June 3, 2021</a></p></blockquote>
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<h2>Arsenal in shock Luis Campos director of football talks as summer transfer window nears opening</h2>
<p>Another man hugely inexperienced in this particular role, decisions made thus far with close friend Kia Joorabchain – as well as placing further unfair responsibility on Arteta with the move from head coach to manager – offer little reason to trust these two to set Arsenal back on course.</p>
<p>They’re not alone, however, and involved along the way is CEO Vinai Venkatesham, another rookie in his position. Whatever positive feelings there were of him soured rapidly with the hideous Super League involvement. The jury is still out.</p>
<p>This ‘team’, if you like, are making crucial decisions at Arsenal. And, looking back, so many of the mistakes that have been made over the past 18 months (and before but this is the current setup) could have been averted with the help of experience elsewhere. Calls Arteta has made would have been tempered with an authoritative, experienced head elsewhere to offer insight. Handing out stupidly long and <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/06/03/arsenal-shock-campos-director-football/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/05/09/arsenal-sell-shocking-signing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">financially crippling contracts to 32-year-old</a>‘s simply wouldn’t have happened.</p>
<p>So much could have been avoided, and built on positively, with a director of football. It’s not the model Arsenal were leaning towards, but goodness, it’s one this inexperienced group needs.</p>
<p>As per the reliable <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/06/03/arsenal-shock-campos-director-football/"https://twitter.com/Tanziloic/status/1400355018973364225" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Loïc Tanzi</a>, Arsenal are in talks with Luis Campos, who is among the finest there are.</p>
<p><em>Continued….</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/06/03/arsenal-shock-campos-director-football/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Arsenal move for Campos </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-116016" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/06/03/arsenal-shock-campos-director-football/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2021%2F05%2F1176886901-850x560.jpeg" alt="Arsenal, Luis Campos" width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">Lille’s Portuguese sports director Luis Campos looks on prior the French L1 football match between Toulouse and Lille, at the Municipal Stadium in Toulouse, southern France, on October 19, 2019. (Photo by REMY GABALDA / AFP) (Photo by REMY GABALDA/AFP via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Arsenal Move to Make Director of Football Appointment</h2>
<p>Arsenal’s recruitment in the Emirates era has <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/06/03/arsenal-shock-campos-director-football/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/06/02/arsenal-total-debt-revealed-summer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">largely been dreadful</a>. The club have signed some exceptional players during that time, while they’ve also let others walk away for free and spent heavily on atrocious footballers.</p>
<p>Contractually it is a different scenario than recruitment, but blanketing that department as a whole and looking at who has come in, who has left and <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/06/03/arsenal-shock-campos-director-football/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/05/18/arsenal-120m-kroenke-loan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">what finance</a> has come of it does not cover Arsenal in glory.</p>
<p>Luis Campos excels at this. Wherever he goes, success follows. Having left Lille this summer, where his masterful work in the transfer market secured them incredible financial gain as well as helping them win silverware, a new opportunity is on the horizon.</p>
<p>Nice appeared to be his next destination but Tanzi has poured cold water over those claims, stating the Portuguese former manager is instead in talks with Arsenal, Real Madrid and is alert to some other European clubs.</p>
<p>What does this mean for Edu? The Brazilian finds himself in the midst of a corruption scandal back in his home nation and the heat is on him greater than ever. That Arsenal are even in discussions with a potential director of football doesn’t bode well for the faith Edu will hope the club have in him.</p>
<p>This is, however, excellent news. Campos is an elite operator in his field. What he’s achieved at Monaco and Lille is nothing short of miraculous, and a project such as Arsenal could absolutely appeal to him, primarily since the level of experience around him would ensure he has strong control of the recruitment department. Few sniff out <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/06/03/arsenal-shock-campos-director-football/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/04/26/arsenal-star-contract-negotiations/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">talent</a> better.</p>
<p>It wouldn’t necessarily constitute Edu’s sacking, though. Campos would come in and take care of football-related matters, while the technical director can keep his attentions to staff appointments. If this club want to show ambition, bringing on a DoF with Campos’ track record would be a strong sign of it.</p>
<p>Where there will be some worry is over <em>another </em>alteration happening. The lack of stability from those running the club has had a substantial impact in the masses of failings that have occurred in recent years. Arteta has already seen a considerable overhaul of the scouting, executive and <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/06/03/arsenal-shock-campos-director-football/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/05/11/arsenal-recruitment-summer-transfer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recruitment</a> departments. And with a summer window so unbelievably vital to the club’s future, further alterations could cause disruption.</p>
<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="Pepe is the man" data-url="https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/06/02/pepe-arsenal-starting-role-arteta/" data-call-to-action="Next"> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/06/03/arsenal-shock-campos-director-football/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/06/02/pepe-arsenal-starting-role-arteta/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> Pepe is the man </a> </div>
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<p>Thus it comes as a big surprise to see Arsenal open talks with Campos. Heavens knows they need someone like him (ideally him) to add a wealth of knowledge and experience, and them doing so may come as a realisation that, perhaps, they really don’t know what they’re doing after all.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">
