Arsenal have now made a significant addition to their backroom staff, as they have poached scout Paulo Xavier from Real Madrid.
Xavier was a highly rated figure at Real Madrid as a South American scout, and Los Blancos have made several additions from the region during his time at the club, as Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and Endrick all signed directly from their Brazilian sides.
It has now emerged that Arsenal have now convinced him to join and start immediately, with technical director Edu Gaspar playing a huge part in the significant move.
Edu Gaspar recruits Paulo Xavier from Real Madrid
The Athletic have now reported that Xavier, who was a “highly-regarded” member of Real Madrid’s scouting team, has joined Arsenal’s staff with immediate effect.
Xavier worked with Edu in a role with the Brazilian Football Confederation between 2015 and 2017 before he joined Madrid, whilst Edu then returned to Arsenal in 2019.
Xavier will work in South America alongside two other Arsenal scouts, and making such a high-profile addition in this scouting region could indicate that the club are about to do a lot more shopping there.
Arsenal’s scouting in South America
Arsenal have signed Gabriel Martinelli and Marquinhos from Brazilian teams in recent years, and also have Brazil internationals Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Magalhaes within their ranks.
Over the years, the South American market is one which has seldom been explored by Arsenal. Even Edu himself signed from Valencia rather than directly from Corinthians.
Arsenal have been linked with moves for several South American talents, including midfielder Andre from Fluminense, and Pablo Maia from Sao Paolo, ahead of the January transfer window.
Edu’s influence as technical director has seen the current crop of Brazilians, as well as Willian in 2020, join the club, and it is clear that he wants the Gunners to take advantage of the volume of emerging talent in Brazil, and South America beyond.
The likes of Vinicius Junior, Bruno Guimaraes, Lucas Paqueta and Julian Alvarez have all moved to Europe from South America in recent years, and have proven to be excellent additions whose market values have all skyrocketed since.
Transfer fees within the Premier League are becoming heavily inflated, and perhaps there is value to be gained by Arsenal taking gambles on talents such as Marcos Leonardo, rather than over-paying for a more proven option in Ivan Toney.
With Arsenal’s January transfer budget potentially limited, bargain signings with high potential from South America could be key, and they now have one of the best scouts in the region at their disposal.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
