Latest news with #JasonAyto
New York Times
4 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Arsenal in advanced talks with Matteo Tognozzi over senior recruitment role
Arsenal are in advanced talks with Matteo Tognozzi over a senior recruitment role. Sporting director Andrea Berta, who joined the Premier League club in March, is hoping to expand the group working closest to him following the departure of predecessor Jason Ayto. Ayto held the role on an interim basis following Edu's exit in November before the club opted for former Atletico Madrid executive Berta on a permanent basis. Advertisement Tognozzi, formerly of Juventus and Granada, could now join in time to assist with Arsenal's summer transfer window, which is expected to busy. Berta moved to Arsenal after 12 years at Atletico Madrid, working alongside Diego Simeone. He first joined the Spanish club's scouting department before climbing the ranks to sporting director in four years. Analysis from James McNicholas Berta was always going to require some support at Arsenal in order to effectively execute his role as sporting director. It was initially thought that might come from Jason Ayto, who had been assistant sporting director under Edu previously. Ayto left his position after more than a decade at the club last month, which effectively created a vacancy. Tognozzi will join Arsenal's existing recruitment set up with Berta as sporting director and James Ellis as head of recruitment. Exactly how that hierarchy is organised remains to be seen. After Berta's arrival and Ayto's departure a degree of change has been expected in Arsenal's recruitment operations, and that trend may well continue across the summer. Analysis by James Horncastle Tognozzi was part of a very talented group of recruiters under Fabio Paratici at Juventus. He helped set up Juventus Next Gen, an Under-23 team Juventus enrolled in Italy's third division to help bridge the gap between youth team and first team football. Many of the players Tognozzi helped identified made the leap. They include Dean Huijsen, Kenan Yildiz, Matias Soule, Samuel Iling Junior. The only one who remains is Yildiz. Although Tognozzi left to pursue a more senior role with Granada in La Liga, his work at Juventus is highly respected. Of the players mentioned only Yildiz remains and he was given the No.10 shirt. The rest were sold for significant money by the successive recruitment department. This has been viewed as short-sighted and is the source of considerable regret. Cristiano Giuntoli was the sporting director who cashed in on them. He reinvested the profits poorly and paid with his job this week. ()
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trusted Arsenal executive decides to leave
Jason Ayto's name rarely made headlines, but inside Arsenal, his influence ran deep. Photo via Getty Images Jason Ayto has left the club, ending a decade-long tenure that saw him rise from scout to interim sporting director. Advertisement His exit, communicated internally on Friday and reported by both the BBC and The Athletic, comes just weeks after the club finalised the appointment of Andrea Berta as permanent successor to Edu Gaspar. It appears to be his decision, leaving to 'further his career and pursue other opportunities'. Ayto, 39, was Edu's 'right-hand man' and was promoted to interim sporting director following Edu's departure in November. According to the reports above, his influence extended across the men's, women's and academy operations, overseeing the coordination of scouting, recruitment strategy, and increasingly, high-level transfer negotiations. Despite being considered a strong candidate to take the job full-time, the club opted to appoint Berta, formerly of Atlético Madrid, in April. Advertisement Ayto will now serve a period of gardening leave before pursuing other opportunities. His fingerprints are on much of Arsenal's recent transfer business. He was instrumental in discussions over deals for Riccardo Calafiori, Mikel Merino, and Martin Zubimendi, the latter expected to arrive from Real Sociedad this summer.
BBC News
23-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Arsenal executive Ayto to leave club
Arsenal assistant sporting director Jason Ayto is leaving the club, BBC Sport well-respected executive has decided to exit the Emirates Stadium ahead of the summer worked under former sporting director Edu and was promoted into the position of interim sporting director after Edu left in Ayto will leave the club in due course. Andrea Berta was appointed as Edu's successor in to follow
New York Times
23-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Jason Ayto leaves Arsenal after interim spell as sporting director
Jason Ayto has departed Arsenal, where he had been interim sporting director earlier this season. Ayto was promoted to the role on an interim basis after Edu Gaspar resigned from his position in November, having previously been the Brazilian's assistant. In March, Arsenal appointed Andrea Berta to be Edu's permanent successor in the position with Ayto now leaving the club. Advertisement A former scout, Ayto had been with Arsenal for a decade and rose through the ranks to become Edu's right-hand man, leading an overhaul and modernisation of the club's recruitment department. When Edu was promoted to become Arsenal's first-ever sporting director in November 2022, he asked for Ayto to be appointed assistant sporting director. The 39-year-old served an expansive apprenticeship under Edu, working across the men's first team, women's team and academy. He led the co-ordination of scouting and recruitment, and as time went by has been increasingly involved in negotiations over transfers and contracts. In the summer of 2024, he was heavily involved in discussions over the signings of both Riccardo Calafiori and Mikel Merino. When Edu departed, Ayto stepped up as interim sporting director and was part of Arsenal's football leadership team which flew to Los Angeles during the November international break for strategic discussions with the Kroenkes. Since then, he had taken up the baton in talks over the potential signing of Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi. He also led Arsenal's search for a striker in January but ultimately was part of the club's decision to abstain from the market that month. Manager Mikel Arteta has talked up Ayto's abilities. Speaking in November, he said: 'Very good, Jason and all the team. Edu and I probably got a lot of the praise, but the work behind it is done by this guy and Jason has been phenomenal. 'It is not easy to wake up one day and having to move to a different office and do a different job, like it was for the team. 'But again, the spirit, how people react, how they are willing to (say): 'Okay, that's it, that's the situation, let's move forward', with that ambition, and as well with that determination and that enthusiasm, that's something great. Jason has been great on that.' (David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
