Arsenal were left to rue their lack of activity in the January transfer window when forward Kai Havertz went down injured earlier this month.
With the German ruled out for the rest of the season, it leaves the Gunners with no recognised fit strikers, at a time when they need all the firepower they can muster if they are to overhaul leaders Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table.
Arne Slot’s side beat Manchester City at the weekend to stretch that lead to 11 points, although the Gunners do have a game in hand.
Arsenal target Edu successor
The January window saw Mikel Arteta’s side fall short with a somewhat speculative bid for Aston Villa’s England forward Ollie Watkins and after failing to land another forward in the summer, it is a clear area of need.
Arsenal’s January window will not have been helped by the fact that the club have not yet replaced Edu Gaspar in the position, following the former Gunners midfielder’s exit last November. Jason Ayto was appointed in an interim role, but it now looks like the club have set their sights on Edu’s successor.
According to a report from French outlet Le10 Sport, Arsenal are targeting a move for Paris Saint-Germain advisor Luis Campos and are pushing to convince him to leave the French champions and that ‘discussions are ongoing’.
Arteta’s side are said to be competing with Chelsea to land the 60-year-old, who was spotted in London at the weekend, although the report states that the reason for his visit remains unknown.
Chelsea have a crowded backroom, with Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart both operating as sporting directors, with Glenn van der Kraan a technical director, but are said to want Campos as their CEO of football, a more expansive role than the usual director of football remit.
In Campos’ current role he is working as an advisor at PSG, overseeing the club’s move away from big-name superstars such as Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi to more sustainable talents. His current contract expires in the summer.
In FourFourTwo’s view, Arsenal need to get their next hire for the sporting director right and build on the excellent work that Edu did at the club and supplement the work of Arteta, who ranked at No.4 in FourFourTwo’s list of the best managers in the world.
Campos is a vastly experienced operator, with his CV littered with big-name players that he has either uncovered or developed, including Mbappe, Fabinho, Nicolas Pepe and Bernardo Silva. After a somewhat rudderless January window, getting someone with Campos’ nous in ahead of the summer would be an excellent move by the club.
