Well, it would not be summer without dramatic news to tackle in the Arsenal universe.
Early yesterday the club announced 55-employees would be made redundant and subsequently let go, citing the financial strains the club suffered in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
We gave our thoughts on that, and much more, here
Initially, this brought backlash of its own. The expected criticism of Mesut Özil’s contract, and Stan Kroenke’s net-worth, were immediately brought to bear in anger.
But when further light was shed on who was set to be let go, no one expected what came next.
The Cagigao effect at Arsenal
Francis Cagigao, so vital to Arsenal’s recruitment process over the years, was one of those who the Gunners have parted ways with. So too were Brian McDermott, and Peter Clark , who also look set to be released.
In Cagigao, Arsenal are set to lose a man who was at the very forefront of its success on the pitch. Credited with playing a key role in scouting & recruiting the likes of Cesc Fàbregas, Santi Cazorla, Robin van Persie, and Héctor Bellerín, the London-native is a cornerstone of the club.
Having spent 21-years working under Arsène Wenger, the former academy graduate is one of the most-highly respected scouts in the world. Other players he played a large role bringing to north London include Lauren, José Antonio Reyes, Nacho Monreal, Mikel Arteta, and Granit Xhaka. Most recently, his mark was left on deals for Gabriel Martinelli and William Saliba.
It is not a stretch to postulate that, without his efforts across the globe, Arsenal would be a very different club.
But if the clubs hierarchy are actively okay with moving on from such an effective and important figure, one has to ask what the basis of this motivation is. Depending on how you analyze it, the growing reality that Raul Sanllehi’s way of thinking is going to be evident and glaring.
Our now clear interest in Willian, and Philippe Coutinho, builds on an already existing notion. Simply, that Arsenal is moving towards a recruitment structure that will rely on relationships with agents and consultants. One man that has featured prominently for the club during our rebuild, is Kia Joorabchian.
The growing influence of agents
To be clear, the sacking of Cagigao, Clark, and McDermott does not mean Arsenal no longer have faith in scouting. This also does not mean that the entire scouting department will be liquidated.
One does not negate the other, and the source of frustration from the Arsenal fanbase is pretty misguided. While it is unfortunate we parted ways with a man who did so well for us over the years, football is fluid; ever-changing.
Agents (and consultants) are the standard norm in North American sports. Baseball super agent Scott Boras is a prime example of this. The nature of agents (and their agencies) being imbedded in the sporting culture of basketball and American football is also undeniable.
This runs deep. Very deep. And it is to the point where young players are getting involved with them from as young as the age of fourteen.
In an interview with Arseblog in March, Fabregas himself eluded to this becoming much more of the norm in football. People like Joorabchian & Jorge Mendes are no longer exceptions to the rule. Agency consultation firms are prevalent. Smaller, unknown agents are commonplace.
While the angst is perhaps justifiable in the actions of the club, could this not simply be a move to gear up for times that are changing?
Long gone are the days where Cagigao would unearth a gem, and Wenger would phone them up. Perhaps attend a quiet dinner with the player and his family. This is not how players are dealt with anymore.
A harsh reality; Joorabchian included
The agent reality has been spurned on by the fact that football is a numbers game now. The amount of money that has taken hold over the sport is massive, to say the least. When before you would have players or their families represent them, people specifically trained to deal with finances are now the preferred method of representation.
Taking Joorabchian as an example; he is, in fact, not an agent. He does not have a license. Rather, he is a consultant, with his own firm that handles multiple clients. In that light, he is a third party intermediary that advises athletes on all things finance.
His background is in finance, and since 1998, had started his own fund management and investment group. So why would a player rely on him? Simple. He’s guaranteed to get them the best financial compensation for their services; to be blunt.
Players also do not need to be a long-standing client of his, either. They can seek out his services temporarily to help them negotiate a move to a preferred destination. This is something we as a club – and fanbase – need to get used to.
It is something we have already dealt with, and no one seemed to care. When Arsenal signed Nicolas Pépé for a club-record fee, no one batted an eyelash that Mendes was brought in to get the deal over the line.
When we analyze this summer, and the notion that business for both Willian and Coutinho could be very real, so too must be the understanding that agents will be involved. It will not be last time, either.
Rumored interest around LOSC Lille’s Gabriel Magalhães has picked up steam over the last 48-hours. The Brazilian center-back is a client of Elenko Sports LTDA. That same firm retains both Zenit’s Malcom, and Chelsea’s Emerson.
You can question Joorabchian’s track record dating back to the issues surrounding Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano moving to West Ham back in 2009. Justifiably so, as well. But the thumbing of our noses to a reality of all professional sports is a silly at best.
Jorge Mendes; a treatise
If we circle back to Jorge Mendes, it’s clear that he – like Joorabchian – was and is the exception to the rule. Not regarding their base-level involvement in the sport, but the wide-reaching scope both enjoy; global. It should be stressed that the average agent or consultant does not have this level of clout.
Unlike Kia, Mendes (with his agency, Gestifute) is in fact a super agent. The list of his clients stretches from Cristiano Ronaldo to Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo.
If you are interested in a touted player based in Portugal, or a big-name Portuguese player overall, Mendes is unavoidable.
It is ironic that, while Wolves’ transfer business has been largely lauded since their promotion, outside fans hardly cracked-wise at the club for dealing with him heavily.
At current, Wolves have six players in their first-team squad that are clients of Gestifute; Rúben Neves, Diogo Jota, Daniel Podence, Rui Patricio, Pedro Neto, and João Moutinho. Though the close relationship between Espirito Santo, Mendes, and Wolves can be scrutinized, you cannot speak against how effective it has been.
Without Mendes, and the players he gave that club access to (who otherwise likely never would have had a chance at those players), Wolves would not have achieved back-to-back seventh-placed finishes since their return to the English top flight.
On the back of that regular European football has featured at the Molineux, rather than bottom-half placements, or potential relegation dog fights.
Agent contacts; a necessary evil for Arsenal
Wolves is not the only Premier League club “in bed” with Mendes, either. Manchester City, Liverpool, Leicester City, Aston Villa, and West Ham all have players tied to Gestifute. So too, do Leeds United and Fulham, who both pocketed successful promotion campaigns.
It would be easy to postulate that both could turn to Mendes to help them strengthen to survive, in similar fashion to Wolves.
Perhaps its telling that the two clubs so far ahead of the pack in the league have Mendes influence amongst their ranks. How does this all circle back to Cagigao? That remains to be seen.
One can speculate that there could have been a power struggle of sorts at the club. Cagigao, defending what he knows best. Sanllehi, in the corner of heavy/heavier reliance on agent-based recruitment strategies.
The two were not on equal footing in terms of the power structure overall. However, if Cagigao was unwilling to support a shift in thinking at the club, then he could have been let go off the back of it. This is, of course, pure speculation on my part.
Moving forward, current realities will continue to lay themselves bare. Of this, we can all be certain.
But it is important to remember that the firing of reputable scouts does not mean the club no longer believes in the necessity of scouting in sports. If that was the case, none of KSE’s sports franchises would employ scouts; either through contractual work, or salaried.
Arsenal must adapt or fall by the wayside
For years, Arsenal was a football club that was hesitant to deal with agents, or agencies. There is no doubt that we would have missed out on a number of players over the years because of this. The potential restructuring of how the club goes about player recruitment could easily be targeting this fact.
It is important to remember that scouting, and agents, are separate from the other. Scouts discover and tell you everything you need to know about a player you’re interested in. Agents, or consultants, merely are tasked with getting the best financial packages for their clients. Both can, and do, co-exist.
As football continues to evolve, so must this club. If we are to have long-term goals of re-establishing this club to greatness on the pitch, and a genuine challenger for the league, then agent dealings are a part of life we have to grow to accept.
We can question, or even be overly-apprehensive. But we also have to be realistic and think in logical terms. Embracing change is not inherently harmful. If this improves our chances at coming to the good, then I am all for it. You should be too.
It is perfect time to make some plans for the long run and it’s time to be happy.
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