Arsenal have appointed former PFA man James King as their Director of Football Operations. 

He will have a say in recruitment, transfers, contract negotiations and budgeting, a key appointment following the departure of Edu, the club’s Sporting Director.

Edu left Arsenal after being responsible for the majority of transfers under Mikel Arteta including the big-money moves for Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz.

James King previously worked for Arsenal under Arsene Wenger for the Gunners’ legal team and he was eventually promoted to football operations where he mainly focused on contractual matters within the club.

Arsenal pundit Chris Wheatley said via LondonWorld: “King’s return is seen as a significant move for the club and he is highly respected among his peers in the industry.”

He said that King’s role at the PFA where he was on the General Counsel helped in “establishing his reputation as a skilled legal and operational professional in the sport.”

Edu’s departure could mean a shake up in the Arsenal hierarchy

Edu’s departure came as a surprise to Arsenal as he had a very close working relationship with manager Mikel Arteta as the pair have helped the Gunners’ recent resurgence into what has become a Premier League title challenging team.

Their battles with Manchester City over the last two seasons were as much down to Edu as anyone else as the former midfielder had an instrumental role in bringing in a lot of Arteta’s current squad.

He looks set to join Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Maranakis in his group which is responsible for several European clubs including Forest, Olympiacos and Rio Ave.

How could King’s appointment affect the Gunners?

The appointment of King has come at a crucial time for Arsenal as the club will be looking ahead to the January transfer window which starts in less than 40 days’ time.

There is no doubt that Mikel Arteta will have identified potential targets for the Gunners to go after and having King in the fold to help with the transfer process and recruitment will make the job that bit easier.

It has to be stressed however, that King is not replacing Edu’s role which was more of a scouting-based job, but he will make the process of signing players smoother which could be vital in January as there will be limited time for Arteta to bring in his targets.