TOP SCOUT IS AXED AS ARSENAL CHOP 55

ARSENAL’S famed global scout Francis Cagigao — the man who discovered Cesc Fabregas — is set for the sack as part of the club’s redundancy cull. Just days after their euphoric FA Cup final victory over Chelsea, the Gunners confirmed that 55 staff would lose their jobs as part of a restructuring following the Covid19 pandemic.

Sportsmail understands among those to have been informed they are being let go is Cagigao, 51, who has played a key role in the club’s international recruitment for more than a decade. He recommended Arsenal sign Fabregas from the Barcelona academy and was behind moves for striker Gabriel Martinelli last year and Hector Bellerin in 2011. Arsenal have also told head of UK scouting Peter Clark and recruitment specialist Brian McDermott that they will lose their positions — though redundancies are in a consultation period and unconfirmed. The Gunners have moved more towards agent-led recruitment in recent seasons, a likely reason behind the restructuring of their scouting set-up and the removal of Cagigao. Arsenal have a limited budget this summer and their spending will be under the microscope given yesterday’s development. Atletico Madrid midfielder Thomas Partey and free-agent winger Willian are among the club’s targets. Arsenal decided against furloughing staff during the Covid19 crisis but the majority of players agreed to pay cuts to help the club through the pandemic. Head of football Raul Sanllehi, and managing director Vinai Venkatesham confirmed the news in a statement, which read: ‘Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic we have been working hard to ensure that Arsenal Football Club emerges in a robust and strong position for the future. ‘Revenue from broadcasters, match-day and commercial activities have all been hit severely. ‘The pandemic represents one of the most challenging periods in our 134-year history and we have responded promptly by implementing wide-ranging measures to reduce our costs. ‘We know this is upsetting and difficult for our dedicated staff and our focus is on managing this as sensitively as possible.’