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Arsenal announce the departure of head of football Raul Sanllehi

Arsenal have announced that Raul Sanllehi has left the club and current managing director Vinai Venkatesham will lead the club going forward. 

The Spaniard joined the Gunners in February 2018 as head of football relations and was promoted to head of football when Ivan Gazidis left the club in December 2018. He appointed Edu Gaspar as Arsenal’s technical director and played a crucial role in the club’s recruitment over the past year and a half. 

The reasons for Sanllehi’s departure are unclear but the club will now be led by Vinai Venkatesham. The managing director has been at Arsenal since 2010. Since assuming this role in December 2018, Venkatesham has worked in tandem with Sanllehi and managed the commercial aspects of the North London club. He will now be in charge of both the commercial and sporting aspects of Arsenal Football Club. 

Sanllehi joined Arsenal from Barcelona where he was the director of football. He joined Barcelona in 2003 and assumed a variety of roles during his fifteen years at the club. He is said to have played a key role in the Spanish club’s pursuit to sign Neymar from Santos in 2013. The Spaniard is very well networked in the world of football and his contacts played a crucial role in securing some of Arsenal’s key transfer targets.

On Sanllehi’s departure, 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.”

On Sanllehi’s departure from the club and his promotion, Venkatesham said:

“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.”

On leaving the club, Sanllehi said:

“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.”

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