Arsenal shed more scouts in break-up of their European network

Arsenal’s overhaul of their scouting network has continued, with several more high-profile recruitment personnel being told they will be made redundant.

The club announced plans for 55 job losses on Wednesday, with the scouting department heavily hit. Francis Cagigao, the head of recruitment, was the highest-profile name to be released, and Pete Clark and Brian McDermott were also told their services were no longer required.

Related: Arsenal's head of recruitment to leave amid 55 planned redundancies

Now the club have informed Ty Gooden, who covers France and Belgium, that he will not be retained and further changes are being made across their international operation. Leonardo Scirpoli, who has overseen their scouting in Germany since last summer, will also lose his job and similar news has befallen their scout in Scotland, Alex Stafford, and the Spain scout, Julio de Marco. The club’s Italian operation has also been cut.

While some internally feel the overhaul has been long planned, it has caused surprise within Arsenal and at several other leading European clubs. There is no indication yet as to how Arsenal intend to restructure the scouting operation after losing this top-level talent.

Cagigao made his name with the discoveries of Cesc Fàbregas and Héctor Bellerín, among others, and has not been short of suitors elsewhere throughout his 24 years serving the club. Some observers of Arsenal’s recruitment methods are concerned they are moving towards an agent-led approach.

Kia Joorabchian has been involved in several of their recent deals, such as a contract extension for David Luiz and the acquisition of Cédric Soares from Southampton, and another of his clients, Willian, is closing in on a free-transfer move from Chelsea.

Arsenal’s players are unhappy about the redundancies across the club. The squad’s WhatsApp group is understood to have been abuzz with discussions on the topic, although it is too early to say what action they may take. There is frustration given that, when they agreed pay cuts of 12.5% in April – which will drop to 7.5% now they have reached the Europa League – part of the rationale offered was that it would help protect other areas of the organisation. That annoyance may well be voiced in some form.

Staff at the club’s Highbury House administrative base are waiting to discover whether individual departments will be undergoing cuts, and whether their roles are at risk. Those employees are sweating on their futures at the same time that Arsenal look to follow Willian’s likely arrival with a new contract for their captain, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who is believed to earn close to £200,000 a week.