Front-runner emerges in Arsenal's sporting director hunt

Arsenal are reportedly accelerating their search for a new sporting director and have identified Real Sociedad's Roberto Olabe as a leading candidate.

Supporters were left stunned by Edu Gaspar's resignation last month, with the Brazilian stepping down from his role in north London in favour of working for Evangelos Marinakis' multi-club empire.

Edu played a key role in the club's rise under Mikel Arteta, and the director's relationship with the Arsenal manager is one his successor will find tough to replicate.

Jason Ayto, Edu's former assistant, is currently filling in while the club undergoes their search for a replacement.

Front-runner emerges in Arsenal's sporting director hunt

There was initial talk over former players Per Mertesacker and Tomas Rosicky being potential options for the role, but there have been few developments on either of these fronts. However, we weren't expecting a swift turnaround in regards to appointing a successor after Edu's resignation was confirmed.

Ayto, all things considered, is more than competent and doubtlessly capable of navigating the ongoing transitional period.

However, the club will want to have a Edu replacement in place well in advance of the 2025 summer transfer window. According to Sky Germany's Florian Plettenberg, Sociedad's Olabe is a 'concrete candidate' for Arsenal's vacant sporting director position.

Olabe has garnered a lofty reputation for his work in San Sebastian, with the 57-year-old impressing in multiple roles. The Spaniard currently operates as the club's sporting director and is regarded as the architect of modern-day Real Sociedad. His exit from the club at the end of 2024/25 has already been confirmed.

Olabe's proposed departure has put Europe's elite on notice, and the Spaniard seems like a superb candidate for the Gunners given what he's been able to facilitate in the Basque Country.

Plettenberg adds that a potential move for Olabe would also have implications on Arsenal's transfer business (shock). Olabe was responsible for bringing Alexander Isak to Sociedad in 2019 and selling him to Newcastle for a monster profit three years later. The director and player are believed to still have an 'excellent relationship', and Olabe could help Arsenal bring Isak to north London next summer.

The Gunners' interest in the Newcastle forward is well-documented, but Isak has long been regarded as an unattainable asset. With his contract expiring in 2028, Newcastle can still demand a hefty fee for his services next year.

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