Arsenal: Why Raul Sanllehi is the real summer positive

Arsenal’s summer transfer window has been lauded over and over. But the real positive to come from their business was not the business but the man behind it, Raul Sanllehi.

In almost everyone’s opinion, Arsenal had one of the best summer transfer windows in the Premier League. They sold underperforming stars whose wages needed to be released from the wage bill, they addressed key areas of need, and, crucially, they got younger, all without completely blowing the doors of financial sensibility.

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There has been much written about the success of the Gunners’ window, although it is still a little early to rationally call their window a ‘success’. But the real positive from Arsenal’s business is their business, however, encouraging it maybe, but the behind the business, head of football Raul Sanllehi.

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While the results of Arsenal’s work are extremely positive, the fact the man in charge of it all seems to understand how to ‘outsmart the market’ is even more inspiring for the future. Give a man a fish and he will have food for a day, but teach a man to fish and he will have food for a lifetime.

And many around football are aware of Sanllehi’s experience, know-how and tremendous reputation. As this excellent profile by Charles Watts in Goal of ‘Don Raul’ outlines, Sanllehi is a popular man. This is how Dick Law described him:

"“He’s a good negotiator. Raul knows how to handle things in the right way. There is no bullsh*t with him. If he says he’s going to do something, then he does it. There are plenty in the industry who will mess you around and change things at the last minute. He’s not one of those.”"

From the same piece, an agent who worked closely with Arsenal and Sanllehi was very positive about the former Barcelona executive:

"“Raul is one of these rare figures in the industry who is so likeable and has so much charisma and emotional intelligence. Raul’s charming, charismatic and he’s got a great sense of humour. Even in conflictive situations, he doesn’t look to escalate the conflict. Those are valuable qualities. He’s pragmatic, a guy who is focused on finding solutions. His whole life has been sports and football. He knows the game; there is no question about it.”"

The signing of Nicolas Pepe is a tremendous move. Kieran Tierney might lock down the left-back position for the next decade. William Saliba could be a stroke of genius. Offloading inordinate wages in a swathe of inspired moves is terrific business. But more than all this, the fact that Sanllehi is behind it all means it is repeatable.

The brilliance of Liverpool’s recent resurgence in Jurgen Klopp is down to their tremendous transfer strategy, both in the players they recruit and sell. Michael Edwards, Liverpool’s sporting director, is behind lots of these deals. It is why they have enjoyed a series of successful windows, which as allowed them to build one of the best teams in the world.

Arsenal will not build a title-challenging team in one summer. They won’t even do it in two. But the fact that Sanllehi, the man who mastered the first truly successful summer window in a long time is at the helm, means there is great hope for the future. That is the real postive from the Gunners’ recent business.