The Premier League’s director of football, Richard Garlick, is to leave his role and become Arsenal’s director of football operations. Garlick has worked at club level before having been West Bromwich Albion’s director of football administration for eight years.
Richard Garlick Joins Arsenal as New Director of Football Operations
Garlick’s New Role
Garlick, who is a specialist in sports law, will join the Gunners’ executive team and work closely with Edu, the club’s technical director, first-team manager Mikel Arteta and academy manager Per Mertesacker.
He will oversee football operations in both the first team and the academy and will take a key role in the management of player contracts and the club’s relationships with the sport’s governing bodies.
Garlick is a qualified solicitor and a specialist in sports law, so will provide a level of expertise to the club’s executive team that they have been missing recently.
Their search for someone to fill the spot left by Huss Fahmy has been going on since October.
Head of football Raul Sanllehi also left last August, leaving Arsenal light on numbers in the board area.
Garlick’s Past
From 2010 until 2018, Richard Garlick was the director of football administration at West Brom. His other roles with the West Midlands club included legal director, secretary and technical director.
After leaving West Brom, he became the Premier League’s director of football – a role which included overseeing football operations, football relations, youth development, coaching and young player education.
Club Statement
In a statement, Arsenal said: “Richard, who is currently director of football at the Premier League and was previously director of football administration at West Bromwich Albion, will join the club in the coming months.
“He will be a member of the Arsenal executive team and will be working closely with technical director Edu, manager Mikel Arteta and academy manager Per Mertesacker.
“His responsibilities will include football operations in the first team and academy, all player contract management and relationships with football’s governing bodies.
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