Roberto Olabe is the latest name to be linked with the Arsenal sporting director job. The 57-year-old will leave Real Sociedad next summer.
According to Graeme Bailey on TBR Football, Arsenal are considering Roberto Olabe for the role vacated by Edu Gaspar. The 57-year-old Spanish transfer guru will leave Real Sociedad in the summer. The experienced executive could fit the role, although the Gunners are taking their time before making the right appointment.
There are considerable eyeballs on Arsenal’s next sporting director appointment, with a host of names being linked with replacing Edu Gaspar. The Brazilian decided to leave his post to join Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis’s footballing group, leaving the Gunners with a void to fill.
Some names are linked to the post, with two former players, Per Mertesacker and Tomas Rosicky, also in contention. The former is currently Arsenal’s academy manager, while Rosicky has been the sporting director of Sparta Prague since retiring from the game.
There are links to West Ham United director Tim Steidten, although it is believed they are not in the running for the Hammers man. Other names are thrown into the mix, like PSG director Luis Campos and Real Sociedad’s Roberto Oalbe.
The latter has attracted eyeballs as the 57-year-old Spanish transfer guru is set to leave Real Sociedad at the end of the season. He has been at the Spanish club for a long time, and incidentally, in a previous spell there, he also signed Mikel Arteta for his brief stint at his hometown club.
Arsenal to take their time in making the appointment
Arsenal are set to take the time to make this appointment to replace Edu at the helm. Hence, while names like Olabe and Campos might have a certain appeal, the club are not in a rush to bring a new face into the mix, meaning this search could drag possibly until next summer before concluding.
The Arsenal project could be a particularly intriguing prospect for many candidates, as Olabe, with his experience and recent business with Arsenal, could have an edge. Others, like Mertesacker and Rosicky, know the club inside out, while Campos carries a huge reputation in the market.
