It hasn't been the greatest of weeks for Arsenal, and it doesn’t seem to look like getting any better, as chief scout, Steve Rowley is on the verge of leaving the club, it is reported in the Daily Mail.
It is reported that Rowley has had enough, as fellow scouting colleagues have indicated that he is slowly running out of patience.
Rowley was always thought to have a very close relationship with Arsene Wenger, but it seems as if that bond is slowly becoming more and more distant.
To blame for recent transfer business?
Arsenal’s transfer strategy in the last few years has come under a lot of scrutiny, with key areas of the team such as defence and central midfield not being addressed for a good couple of years.
It seems as a result, the relationship between Wenger and Rowley has become more strained as each season passes, leading to many fingers being pointed towards the Gunners’ top scout.
Surely all the blame for Arsenal’s recent poor activity in the transfer market can’t solely come down to Rowley – but it seems that he is very much the man in the frame at the club for not sorting several deals out over the summer.
A change in the system?
As each year passes, Arsenal it seems are always looking at making changes to their backroom staff, and that is no different in the scouting system.
Recently, top dog and chief executive Ivan Gazidis has started to take the reigns with the scouting policy, as he balances his time between the Emirates offices and the training ground down at Colney.
Gazidis having such a big influence now in the scouting system might of just been the last nail in the coffin for Rowley, as it has seemed for years now that Arsenal’s chief executive has wanted change in the system.
The arrival of Team Sky legal chief, Huss Fahmy coinciding with the departure of long-standing chief transfer negotiator, Dick Law is very much indicating signs of a new era at the Emirates. Though, it is a sad way for one of the clubs longest serving members of the team to depart, as Arsenal say hello to a new generation.