Done Deal – Arsenal To Announce Major Transfer Business Ahead Of January Window

According to reports, Arsenal have handled a three year contract to former Leeds United manager Brian McDermott to take up a scouting role for the club and to work in the recruitment department.

The former Leeds boss is expected to work with Arsenal’s chief scout Steve Rowley. The position was initially offered to Ian Bloomfield, but he joined North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur instead.

The 53 year old Brian McDermott would be returning to familiar surroundings having been a youth player at Arsenal between 1977-1979. He made 61 league appearances and 72 appearances in all competitions for the Arsenal first team between 1979-1984.

Brian McDermott took Reading to the Premier League two seasons ago, where he lead the club to the Championship title (second division) in 2011-2012 season which earned him the League Manager’s Association (LMA) Championship Manager of the year award, but he was later dismissed after the club’s endured a terrible season in the Premier League. He was before now the manager of Leeds United, where he lost is job five months ago.

Despite his string of experience in management, it however not the first time he has made a detach into the world of scouting. He initially joined Reading as a chief scout in the year 2000 before he ended up managing the club.

Arsenal have recently carried out some internal restructuring in the summer, with the appointment of Dutchman Andrei Jonker as the club’s Academy director. While some youth coaches left which brought about a personnel change to the set up at the youth level.

With this new appointment, it means Arsenal are continuing with their renewed policy of improving the recruitment of players at the club. It also shows that the club would be bringing in another personnel with a recent stint in management into the internal workings of the club, as Andries Jonker was with Wolfsburg before he became Academy director.

It is a measure of good news for Arsenal after the cloud of the club’s slow start to the season continued following the 2-0 defeat to Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday.

It is still unclear whether the recruitment for which Brian McDermott has been appointed is strictly for the youth level or it covers all the levels of the team.

What is clear though is that the club is making a cautious effort to revamp the scouting and recruitment of the team.