Arsenal appoint new director of football operations

Arsenal have appointed their former executive James King as their new director of football operations, according to The Athletic journalists David Ornstein and James McNicholas.

Gunners’ managing director, Richard Garlick, occupied the role before taking up his current position after Vinai Venkatesham exited as chief executive officer at the end of last term.

King left Arsenal to join the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) as general counsel in May 2022, having worked with the club for six years.

He helped out with commercial deals for their legal team before moving to their football operations department in 2018.

He was the senior legal counsel for football operations at the club before leaving and is now returning as director of football operations.

King brings much-needed experience to the table and will now be playing a huge role in transfers across the club.

His brief spell with the PFA will also come in handy, and the Gunners will benefit from his wealth of experience.

King will be working with Garlick and sporting director Edu Gaspar, and winning the Premier League and Champions League will be his top priority.

Arsenal last won the English top-flight title in 2004 and have never won the elite European competition.

They have started the season strongly across both competitions and will look to strengthen their squad depth in January following injuries to key players.

King will be looking to help manager Mikel Arteta bolster his team with the right players.