MX23RW : Thursday, November 7 19:37:26| >> :60:1961:1961:

Arsenal 'poach scout Paulo Xavier from Real Madrid'

Arsenal 'poach scout Paulo Xavier from Real Madrid'
© Reuters
Highly-rated scout Paulo Xavier leaves his role at Real Madrid to join Arsenal, according to a report.

Highly-rated scout Paulo Xavier has left his role at Real Madrid to join Arsenal, according to a report.

Xavier has conducted business for Los Blancos since September 2017, during which time the capital giants have won another two Champions League crowns and two La Liga titles.

Xavier worked in Real Madrid's Latin America division, but according to The Athletic, he has now called time on his Blancos career to take on a new challenge with Arsenal.

The report claims that Xavier has already started his work with the Gunners and will be based in South America with another pair of scouts as he reunites with former colleague Edu.

The pair worked together at the Brazilian Football Confederation between 2015 and 2017, during which time Edu - one of the Arsenal Invincibles - was his nation's general coordinator.

Edu left his Selecao role in 2019 to become Arsenal's technical director before being promoted to the position of sporting director in 2022, and the 45-year-old was key in bringing Xavier to North London.

Edu pictured with Brazil in 2019© Reuters

Xavier also enjoyed a brief stint with Manchester United just before joining Real Madrid, and his arrival will assist Arsenal's efforts to bring in more top talent from South America.

The Gunners have made a pair of notable signings from Brazil over the past couple of years, firstly poaching a then-18-year-old Gabriel Martinelli from Ituano in 2019 for just £6m.

The winger has proven to be an astute acquisition for Arsenal, already making 150 appearances in all competitions and registering 37 goals and 22 assists for Mikel Arteta's side, as well as representing Brazil at the 2022 World Cup.

In the summer of 2022, Arsenal once again utilised their South American connections to sign another Brazilian winger in Marquinhos, who scored and assisted on his debut in a 2-1 Europa League win over FC Zurich.

The 20-year-old has failed to kick on since that dream debut, though, spending the second half of the 2022-23 season on loan with Norwich City before joining Ligue 1 side Nantes on a temporary basis for the 2023-24 campaign.

Arsenal hold a one-point lead over Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table before they head to Anfield to face the Reds in Saturday's mouthwatering contest.

ID:531736:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect3767:

Click here for more stories about Paulo Xavier

Click here for more stories about Arsenal

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Manchester City's Jack Grealish celebrates scoring their first goal on December 16, 2023
Read Next:
Man City meet Copenhagen in Champions League last 16, Arsenal to face Porto
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!