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Raul Sanllehi has left Arsenal

Rex Stone

Long live the fighters
Trusted ⭐

Country: Wales
It's pretty hard to tell what the guy actually did, besides being involved in the shadier facets of the Neymar deal. Barca has so many executives, it's hard to see. E.g. at one point they at the same time had Sanllehi as Head of Football and Begiristain as Head of Sport. When Txiki left for City they got in Robert Fernandez as DoF. Who's the boss? The Head of Football or the Director of Football? Who even does what in such a muddled setup? Also a bit worrying that he's apparently not a football but more of a marketing/business guy who's just worked in football for a very long time.

And I'm also worried about Edu, tbh. Don't think he's got enough to stand his ground. Neither Corinthians nor Brazil have been super successfull during his stints there. The job descriptions of Teammanager and Teamcoordinator also reek of some of the alibi jobs Bierhoff did/does for Germany and I wouldn't let that guy near any club I support.

E.g. I'd be feeling more comfortable with Mislintat still at the club and Per Mertesacker in a more advanced role than Head of the Academy.

Like you say there were so many executives there it’s hard to attribute success to one man.

I’d hesitate praising someone for his role at Barcelona anyway. After Rosell left they’ve been one of the worst run top clubs in Europe.
 

celestis

Arsenal-Mania Veteran
Moderator

Country: Australia
It's pretty hard to tell what the guy actually did, besides being involved in the shadier facets of the Neymar deal. Barca has so many executives, it's hard to see. E.g. at one point they at the same time had Sanllehi as Head of Football and Begiristain as Head of Sport. When Txiki left for City they got in Robert Fernandez as DoF. Who's the boss? The Head of Football or the Director of Football? Who even does what in such a muddled setup? Also a bit worrying that he's apparently not a football but more of a marketing/business guy who's just worked in football for a very long time.

And I'm also worried about Edu, tbh. Don't think he's got enough to stand his ground. Neither Corinthians nor Brazil have been super successfull during his stints there. The job descriptions of Teammanager and Teamcoordinator also reek of some of the alibi jobs Bierhoff did/does for Germany and I wouldn't let that guy near any club I support.

E.g. I'd be feeling more comfortable with Mislintat still at the club and Per Mertesacker in a more advanced role than Head of the Academy.

He hooked Neymars dad up is what he is famous for . He worked with Nike before Barca . No one really can tell .
 
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Artisan

Not Emery's Old Pal
As much as I'm starting to hate the guy, lets be fair now, his shady Neymar deal was some outstanding stuff. Even if it took Barca's leadership down in its wake. Was just the type of guy who'd be willing to get his hand dirty we needed, I just didn't bank on him having a soft spot for his old pal over the well being of the club.

Wouldn't surprise me if they are lining their pocket behind the scene before the Americans find out. Vinai seems kinda dodgy as well. It's all making me miss Gazidis a bit, at least he acted like he had a clue and projected a sense of calm despite being completely out of his depth.
 

Toby

No longer a Stuttgart Fan
Moderator
I always wonder why they ****ing chose to promote Raul and Vinai. Board and owners are so complacent. There's got to be a myriad of proper football or sports CEOs out there. Of course it's highly unlikely you get someone like Marrotta. But there has to be a ton of guys like that in the US, for instance. Atlanta is doing good work, what about their CEO? Someone from NFL/NBA/NHL? Just someone who knows how to run a sports club/company in this day and age. Not just promote a dodgy Spanish sort of DoF and some guy from marketing.
 

Garrincha

Wilf Zaha Aficionado
Trusted ⭐
Neymar was the big fish but remember reading about some of the 5-15m they spent on really bad Brazilians. It was hard to explain... the RB & then a few young prospects.

Barca Forum I think it was had a thread with links between board members, agents & a Tyre company or something.

I always wonder why they ****ing chose to promote Raul and Vinai. Board and owners are so complacent. There's got to be a myriad of proper football or sports CEOs out there. Of course it's highly unlikely you get someone like Marrotta. But there has to be a ton of guys like that in the US, for instance. Atlanta is doing good work, what about their CEO? Someone from NFL/NBA/NHL? Just someone who knows how to run a sports club/company in this day and age. Not just promote a dodgy Spanish sort of DoF and some guy from marketing.
Its crazy especially as Wenger just left as well. No other major company would act like this. Unless just cost cutting.
 

kraphtous

Raul Stanllehi
Gazidis had the right idea: Sanllehi - Mislintat, it was a proper structure, you have the financial guy and on the other hand the football guy.

As predicted, it all got ****ed when Gazidis left and Mislintat was pushed out. Sanllehi wanted to bring in his old pal Monchi but of course that failed so our useless board again couldn‘t be bothered to find a proper replacement. Now we have this dumb structure where two financial guys rule the club and no one who actually has a football vision is on the board.
 

Toby

No longer a Stuttgart Fan
Moderator
I wish Mislintat was still here.

Yeah, I do, too. I think everybody knows I rate him highly.

And I know Mertesacker has been out of the game and Academy boss for a short time, but out of all the ex-players, including Invincibles et al, he strikes me as the most intelligent, self critical and with most integrity. He's also very honest, sometimes bordering on blunt, and seems like a guy who doesn't fear challenges, obstacles or backlash. As far as I can tell just a very genuine and intelligent guy.
With his ex teammate Clemens Fritz he runs a property company, he's got a foundation for socially disadvantaged youth athletes and the socially struggling, he used to be part of the German players union's 4 man Bundesliga player council - there's a lot of things regarding his character and abilities, including interviews and his autobiography, that suggest he'd be great executive. There's also ample examples of even short lived Academy Heads becoming good to great DoFs like Eberl at Gladbach or Hitzlsperger at Stuttgart; I could look up more.

Of all Arsenal exes I'd like to see him rise through the ranks the most. Never thought of him back when the choices were made, as he had just become Head of the Academy, but he seems like an obvious choice to put into the hierarchy in a more advanced role. E.g. in contrast to my stance on the manager post for which I really don't want to see an absolute rookie like Arteta appointed, in hindsight I think to preserve the core club identity and legacy of Wenger, a guy like Merte as DoF - although a rookie - with an experienced scout and analyst like Mislintat as his right hand Technical Director, working under an experienced, proper CEO could've been very, very promising. And judging by Mislintat's modus operandi which is a mix of pragmatism where needed and longtime talent development plus Merte's background and character, the club could very well be closer to what it was under Wenger than what it is now.

But that's just rambling, anyway. Don't think we'll get a new CEO, don't think we'll see Raul and/or Vinai leave in the near future, and I guess Merte will leave down the line when at some point the likes of Hannover or Bremen come calling for a new DoF.
 

al-Ustaadh

👳‍♂️ Figuring out how to delete my account 👳‍♂️
Yeah, I do, too. I think everybody knows I rate him highly.

And I know Mertesacker has been out of the game and Academy boss for a short time, but out of all the ex-players, including Invincibles et al, he strikes me as the most intelligent, self critical and with most integrity. He's also very honest, sometimes bordering on blunt, and seems like a guy who doesn't fear challenges, obstacles or backlash. As far as I can tell just a very genuine and intelligent guy.
With his ex teammate Clemens Fritz he runs a property company, he's got a foundation for socially disadvantaged youth athletes and the socially struggling, he used to be part of the German players union's 4 man Bundesliga player council - there's a lot of things regarding his character and abilities, including interviews and his autobiography, that suggest he'd be great executive. There's also ample examples of even short lived Academy Heads becoming good to great DoFs like Eberl at Gladbach or Hitzlsperger at Stuttgart; I could look up more.

Of all Arsenal exes I'd like to see him rise through the ranks the most. Never thought of him back when the choices were made, as he had just become Head of the Academy, but he seems like an obvious choice to put into the hierarchy in a more advanced role. E.g. in contrast to my stance on the manager post for which I really don't want to see an absolute rookie like Arteta appointed, in hindsight I think to preserve the core club identity and legacy of Wenger, a guy like Merte as DoF - although a rookie - with an experienced scout and analyst like Mislintat as his right hand Technical Director, working under an experienced, proper CEO could've been very, very promising. And judging by Mislintat's modus operandi which is a mix of pragmatism where needed and longtime talent development plus Merte's background and character, the club could very well be closer to what it was under Wenger than what it is now.

But that's just rambling, anyway. Don't think we'll get a new CEO, don't think we'll see Raul and/or Vinai leave in the near future, and I guess Merte will leave down the line when at some point the likes of Hannover or Bremen come calling for a new DoF.
I’d like for Arteta to be appointed. Think he’d do better than most tend to think.
 

Ricardinho

La Liga Correspondent
If they engage O'Leary, they are seriously out of their minds. Completely out of his depth, and a two faced false freak of man.

Not to mention he worked for Leeds... absolute poverty.

Club legend

Not that it automatically qualifies him for the role, but yeah
 

Toby

No longer a Stuttgart Fan
Moderator
Club legend

Not that it automatically qualifies him for the role, but yeah

Doesn't have to be the brightest of football minds to sit on the board in an observing and controlling function. Tbf, on a board full of non football guys just one football guy would be a step in the right direction - if he isn't a complete numptie.
 

Toby

No longer a Stuttgart Fan
Moderator
I’d like for Arteta to be appointed. Think he’d do better than most tend to think.

I just find it very hard to judge the guy. Besides a few quotes of himself and by others, there's not much to go off on his managerial abilities as head coach. Contrast that to Mertesacker who has a massive career behind him, outside of football ventures, an autobiography and a ton of other info to get an idea of him and how he'd probably work. And on top of that in this dream proposed DoF role he wouldn't be directly responsible for the team on the pitch and he'd have a team to work with to balance out missing experience. In terms of coaching Arteta would be the top boss and what I can grasp of him is just too thin for me.
 

al-Ustaadh

👳‍♂️ Figuring out how to delete my account 👳‍♂️
I just find it very hard to judge the guy. Besides a few quotes of himself and by others, there's not much to go off on his managerial abilities as head coach. Contrast that to Mertesacker who has a massive career behind him, outside of football ventures, an autobiography and a ton of other info to get an idea of him and how he'd probably work. And on top of that in this dream proposed DoF role he wouldn't be directly responsible for the team on the pitch and he'd have a team to work with to balance out missing experience. In terms of coaching Arteta would be the top boss and what I can grasp of him is just too thin for me.
I disagree. I think it’s telling that when anything goes wrong in a Man City game, Pep singles Arteta out and yells at him (this is literally every time). It’s clear Pep gives him a lot of responsibility in setting up tactics game-to-game. On top of that, he’s not just been given credit by other coaches as having a bright future but the players he’s worked with have spoken highly of him. He’s the one credited for Sterling’s rise, for example. Bellerin, who should be our captain at this point, has also spoken highly.

May not have the experience most want, but he has to get a start somewhere and I like the idea of bringing sensible attacking football back to the club. Think he’d do a lot more with the current roster than Emery to be honest.
 

mavelous

Tinfoil hat aficionado
On the other hand, with Arteta, it may not have been the best idea at the time, or worse, it could quite possibly have gone disastrously wrong.

But it could make sense now (ideally in the summer)
 

SingmeasongSong

Right Sometimes
It's pretty hard to tell what the guy actually did, besides being involved in the shadier facets of the Neymar deal. Barca has so many executives, it's hard to see. E.g. at one point they at the same time had Sanllehi as Head of Football and Begiristain as Head of Sport. When Txiki left for City they got in Robert Fernandez as DoF. Who's the boss? The Head of Football or the Director of Football? Who even does what in such a muddled setup? Also a bit worrying that he's apparently not a football but more of a marketing/business guy who's just worked in football for a very long time.

And I'm also worried about Edu, tbh. Don't think he's got enough to stand his ground. Neither Corinthians nor Brazil have been super successfull during his stints there. The job descriptions of Teammanager and Teamcoordinator also reek of some of the alibi jobs Bierhoff did/does for Germany and I wouldn't let that guy near any club I support.

E.g. I'd be feeling more comfortable with Mislintat still at the club and Per Mertesacker in a more advanced role than Head of the Academy.

I agree to most of this, but isn't it a bit far fetched to lay the responsibility of Unai still not being sacked on Raul or why is there such heated discussion on here ?

We probably all dont really know where responsibilities end, who decides what in the bigger scheme, but as far as I see it, Raul is a pretty roughless guy and certainly does not come across a guy who is to nice, shying away from tough decisions like to fire Emery asap. This screams management problems above Raul, we've been stupid in that regard for like 10 years + now.

The problems at our club have run far far longer than since Raul came here. If we were to judge Raul solely on the transfers, I'd still love him - he's made some exciting new deals with piss poor budget. Pepe is not a flop, give him time.
And we also dont know who ultimately choss the targets and who made it happen.
 

Toby

No longer a Stuttgart Fan
Moderator
I disagree. I think it’s telling that when anything goes wrong in a Man City game, Pep singles Arteta out and yells at him (this is literally every time). It’s clear Pep gives him a lot of responsibility in setting up tactics game-to-game. On top of that, he’s not just been given credit by other coaches as having a bright future but the players he’s worked with have spoken highly of him. He’s the one credited for Sterling’s rise, for example. Bellerin, who should be our captain at this point, has also spoken highly.

May not have the experience most want, but he has to get a start somewhere and I like the idea of bringing sensible attacking football back to the club. Think he’d do a lot more with the current roster than Emery to be honest.

The thing is he might just be a very good assistant. Individual player development, specific tactical situations or setups - he might be very good at that, but can he lead a team as top dog? I just think that is very hard to tell. Sometimes coaches are brilliant tactical minds, but once they go from youth to pro level or from assistant to head coach, they can't properly translate their good ideas onto a team. Ex Stuttgart and Hamburg manager Hannes Wolf is such an example.

Zeljko Buvac, Hermann Gerland - there's a reason these guys remain(ed) lifelong assistants although they were highly praised by everyone who knew them.

I think for a club of Arsenal's stature appointing an absolute rookie who's whole experience is now 3 seasons as an assistant is far, far too risky.
 

Toby

No longer a Stuttgart Fan
Moderator
I agree to most of this, but isn't it a bit far fetched to lay the responsibility of Unai still not being sacked on Raul or why is there such heated discussion on here ?

We probably all dont really know where responsibilities end, who decides what in the bigger scheme, but as far as I see it, Raul is a pretty roughless guy and certainly does not come across a guy who is to nice, shying away from tough decisions like to fire Emery asap. This screams management problems above Raul, we've been stupid in that regard for like 10 years + now.

The board is absolutely in on it, but Raul is the designated football boss at the club, so it's clear part of the blame lies with him and is directed at him.

I guess to me and a few others this whole setup just has a bit of a "Gschmäckle" as we Swabians say, a taste: That lackluster promotion of Sanllehi who by all accounts was a sort of DoF, but never a president or a CEO, the Spanish connection, the pushing out of Mislintat, then Edu came in - whom I really don't want to judge - but who seems a bit of another low effort addition in light of names out there and probably available to a club like Arsenal with far more proven track records. The transfer window was good by my standards, yes, but then the apparently club instigated Özil situation, the Ramsey fiasco, the weird intel leaking going on right now mostly directed against players of the club, the apparent complacency in light of the situation on the pitch...I guess it just all comes together for people and Raul is the face of the club hierarchy. But of course, the board and owners are as complacent and short sighted as ever, too.
 

SingmeasongSong

Right Sometimes
The board is absolutely in on it, but Raul is the designated football boss at the club, so it's clear part of the blame lies with him and is directed at him.

I guess to me and a few others this whole setup just has a bit of a "Gschmäckle" as we Swabians say, a taste: That lackluster promotion of Sanllehi who by all accounts was a sort of DoF, but never a president or a CEO, the Spanish connection, the pushing out of Mislintat, then Edu came in - whom I really don't want to judge - but who seems a bit of another low effort addition in light of names out there and probably available to a club like Arsenal with far more proven track records. The transfer window was good by my standards, yes, but then the apparently club instigated Özil situation, the Ramsey fiasco, the weird intel leaking going on right now mostly directed against players of the club, the apparent complacency in light of the situation on the pitch...I guess it just all comes together for people and Raul is the face of the club hierarchy. But of course, the board and owners are as complacent and short sighted as ever, too.

Many of that could be 100% correct, it's just that "Emery is staying" could also just be a mere board call with Raul and co the ones to do the rest.
Obviously, when 99% of the fans feel that decision is ****, at least a good chunk will feel like Raul is massively failing/overrated/..

It is the old dilemma, a lack of transparancy on who is responsible for what actions.
If we, as fans, don't not ****, there's no uniform target to blame, but pure guesswork, agony and so on and so forth.

All in all, it's just frustrating to be an Arsenal fan.
 
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