RUTHLESS ARSENAL WIELD THE AXE AGAIN

ARSENAL have announced that head of football Raul Sanllehi will leave with immediate effect as the club continues to cut staff.

Managing director Vinai Venkatesham will replace him as t he Gunners press forward with an overhaul of t heir recruitment department while also handing manager Mikel Arteta greater power.

Owners Stan and Josh Kroenke said in a statement: ‘We have no doubt 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.’

Sanllehi, who joined the club in February 2018 after previously working at Barcelona, follows scouts Francis Cagigao, Brian McDermott and Peter Clark through the exit door, while another 50 nonplaying staff were controversially made redundant earlier this month.

The surprise move comes after it was revealed that Arsenal will investigate their under-fire recruitment system. Technical director Edu will head a probe into whether they paid too much last year for Nicolas Pepe, who cost £72million from Lille and had a mixed first season in North London.

Arsenal have already announced the signing of Willian from Chelsea and are determined to embark on a more measured and joined-up transfer policy under Edu and Arteta.

Sanllehi’s exit represents Arsenal’s fourth major reorganisation since manager Arsene Wenger left in 2018. Unai Emery succeeded Wenger but was sacked midway through his second term, Ivan Gazidis left his role as chief executive in 2018 and head of recruitment Sven Mislintat departed in 2019.

Venkatesham said: ‘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.’