There is a curious pattern emerging among Arsenal’s former sporting directors.
Jason Ayto has left Brighton after just nine months as the club’s first ever sporting director, making him the second high-profile Arsenal departure to exit his subsequent role in quick succession.
Edu Gaspar, who left Arsenal at the end of 2024 after five years, lasted only eight months at Nottingham Forest before departing that role too.
Ayto joined Brighton in September 2025 in a revamp of senior roles, replacing technical director David Weir.
He was due to oversee his first summer transfer window, which opens on June 15, but will now play no part in it.
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Brighton chairman Tony Bloom kept his statement brief. “I’d like to thank Jason for everything he has done for us, and to wish him well for the future.”
Ayto spent over a decade at Arsenal in a variety of positions, including chief scout, assistant technical director and interim sporting director.
He was even considered a strong candidate for the permanent sporting director role before Andrea Berta was ultimately appointed.
His most notable contribution at the Emirates was playing a key role in securing the signing of Martin Zubimendi, though some fans also criticised him and Edu for the slow speed at which they operated in the transfer market.
Two former Arsenal chiefs out of work in under a year tells its own story
It would be unfair to draw too many conclusions from two departures at very different clubs in very different circumstances.
Brighton are a shrewd, well-run organisation — 90% of their decisions are good ones — and Ayto’s exit may say more about fit than ability.
But there might be something there.
Both Edu and Ayto may well have thrived within the specific culture and structure that Josh Kroenke, Richard Garlick, and Mikel Arteta have built at Arsenal, with the manager’s vision providing a clear framework for recruitment decisions.
Things haven’t gone well for both working without that framework, but we don’t know the full picture.
Andrea Berta, by contrast, has hit the ground running at Arsenal, with his Atletico Madrid background giving him the edge in both authority and relationships.
Having the right sporting director matters hugely. Arsenal, it seems, now have one.
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