🔎 Why Arsenal's Sporting Director search only offers a poisoned chalice | OneFootball

Following the will-they, won’t-they transfer questions of the January window, Arsenal’s immediate focus now turns to behind-the-scenes changes as they look for a new Sporting Director.

Edu Gaspar announced his departure in November, and in the meantime, Jason Ayto has stepped up to the plate, though the interim has had little to do thus far.

Speaking on the topic, Mikel Arteta recently revealed that he expected a swift resolution to the situation.

“The decision I think will be done relatively quickly, whether it’s Jason or somebody else I don’t know but I think that decision will be done quite early,” he said.

The likes of Dan Ashworth, Tomáš Rosický, Roberto Olabe, and Ayto himself have all been tipped for the role, but while the identity of Arsenal’s next transfer chief is unclear, what is becoming increasingly clear is just how difficult their job description will be.

Keeping powder dry puts focus on summer

Arsenal opted not to sign a forward in January despite public requests to do so from both Arteta and his players.

They explored a move for RB Leipzig's Benjamin Šeško, only to be told he wasn’t available in January. A move for Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins fell flat, while interest in Wolves' Matheus Cunha went no further.

Meanwhile, Rosenborg midfielder Sverre Nypan opted to wait until the summer to decide his future amid Arsenal's interest, while Manchester City pipped the Gunners to the signing of Palmeiras centre-back Vitor Reis.

Having waited, there is now added pressure to get the summer moves right for a series of well-publicised transfer targets across the pitch.

A deal for Newcastle's Alexander Isak is the dream move, but the Swedish forward would likely cost a club-record sum and would come with an injury record that will have more than a few Arsenal fans wincing given recent history.

Similarly, Athletic Club starlet Nico Williams seems to still be a top target to bolster the Gunners in a wide area, but given he has had a release clause ever since the initial interest, it is unclear what makes Arsenal so sure that they can attain him this summer rather than in either of the two previous transfer windows.

Transfers are already in motion, however. Mikel Arteta’s side have seemingly jumped the queue for Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad in a deal that will cost them north of £51m if they get it done, while Espanyol goalkeeper Joan García is another long-term target with a release clause that they could look to trigger in the summer after failing to land him 12 months ago.

But having gambled on not spending in January, there is now an expectation that the club will do so in the summer. They know it. Selling clubs will know it. Fans will no doubt remind them of it.

All that threatens to come against a backdrop of disappointment, with Arsenal on course to finish as runners-up in the Premier League for the third successive season, and with their hopes of other silverware lying only in Europe after ignominious exits from both the Carabao and FA Cup.

In short, Arsenal’s new Sporting Director will be charged with signing a goalkeeper, centre-back, midfielder (or two), and a forward (or two) to help Arsenal challenge for the title. Pressure enough, but there will be plenty more to keep him busy, too.

Key contract negotiations needed

On top of sorting incomings, Arsenal's newest chief will be tasked with ensuring that their current talents don't get wandering eyes, and there are a few whose contracts leave them vulnerable.

Jorginho, Thomas Partey, and Kieran Tierney are all out of contract this summer, and at least two are expected to depart for pastures new, with Tierney having already agreed a pre-contract with boyhood club Celtic.

Fellow squad players Oleksandr Zinchenko, Takehiro Tomiyasu, and Leandro Trossard are all out of contract the following year, but it is the quartet whose deals expire in 2027 that will truly be the concern.

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Cornerstone defensive duo Gabriel and William Saliba, and the talismanic Bukayo Saka, will all be reaching the final two years of their deals in north London. So too will Gabriel Martinelli.

The Gunners will be helped in their attempts to tie those players down by the atmosphere that they have created in north London. Saliba has already suggested he could happily spend his entire career at the Emirates, while Saka is the club's poster boy and would look, frankly, wrong in any other shirt.

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Nonetheless, with wages likely to be hiked in the case of all four, it is another job that any incoming Sporting Director can simply not afford to get wrong.

Driving sales key

Arsenal are not in a position to be concerned about financial fair play just yet, but with the players linked to the club, it is likely to be a very big summer of incomings and that will require balance.

Unlike last summer though, where their homegrown talent helped them garner a premium on the likes of Emile Smith Rowe and Eddie Nketiah, there is no such advantage this time around.

As already mentioned, the contract situations of Tomiyasu, Zinchenko, and Trossard mean that the Gunners have little leverage in dealings, and they are unlikely to see anything like the near-£65m that they shelled out on the trio.

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Then there is the much-maligned Jakub Kiwior, who has been incessantly linked with a return to Italy, while any hopes of cashing in on Gabriel Jesus appear to have disappeared with his knee injury, which is set to sideline him until at least the beginning of the new season.

In short, any incoming Sporting Director at Arsenal has quite the job on their hands.

The expectation is that the club take the next step up in terms of player quality in several areas, a demand that has only been strengthened by the decision to sit on their hands in January rather than risk signing the wrong player.

On top of that, they cannot allow Arsenal's key men to head into uncertain territory with their contracts. A quick glance up to Merseyside will demonstrate the pitfalls of such an error.

And, with so many new faces seemingly wanted in north London, departures are inevitable, but getting significant fees for those leaving may be the hardest task of them all.

So, are there any volunteers for the job?

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