Arsenal has undergone a number of changes in recent seasons. Arsene Wenger was the club’s manager for over 20 years and the Frenchman set some structures in place at the club which helped him enjoy success as a manager here.
One of the key parts of the club during their successful years until recently has been the scouting department.
Through scouting, Arsenal has been able to sign some of the best players for the club and for their academy and some high-profile names who moved to the Emirates wouldn’t have come through if the club’s scouting system hadn’t been a good one.
However, in preparation for a transition from Wenger, Arsenal began to make some changes at the club and one of the major ones was to disband the scouting department which was headed by Steve Rowley, who had worked at the club for more than 30 years.
Tony Adams has blasted the club’s decision to ditch a successful scouting network that proved so successful in helping them sign some of their best players.
“My fundamental issue is with recruitment,” the former Gunners captain told Alan Brazil and former teammate Ray Parlour on talkSPORT.
“I think the club is going through such a recruitment issue at the moment.
“Relying on agents is not the way to go. It’s not Arsenal DNA I’m afraid. I don’t like it. I’ve got to say it publicly.
“We’ve got Edu and Raul Sanllehi who are running the show and, you know as well as I do Ray, Steve Rowley took 40 years to build that scouting system and 13 scouts have been sacked.
“They’ve put a bomb on it.
“Steve’s network, it did absolutely brilliantly, it got the best players from around the world into the club and into our own academy, and it’s just been blown up.
“Edu, I love him. He’s a beautiful man, a lovely man and it’s not personal, but he has no experience of building European squads.
“Even Raul Sanllehi, he came from Barcelona where all the money in the world, but it doesn’t look like he’s going to get money here!
“Those people are kind of out of their depth, I’m sorry.
“They need to build a fantastic squad that challenges for the league, and it hurts.”
