Arsenal head of football Raul Sanllehi leaves club

Sanllehi, who was formerly Barcelona's director of football, was initially appointed the club's head of football relations before being redeployed in 2018 following a restructure.

In a statement on behalf of owners, Stan and Josh Kroenke wished Sanllehi well for the future and thanked him for his time at the club, adding: "Raul has made a big contribution during his time with us and will always be part of the Arsenal family."

Of the new appointment, hey said: "We have no doubt that Vinai is the right person to take the club forward. He has shown outstanding leadership during the current crisis and is held in high regard internally and externally.

"We know everyone will rally round him so we can move forward successfully."

In the same statement, Venkatesham, who has been at the club since 2010, said there was "much work to do" to ensure Arsenal were competitive again.

"While this will not happen overnight, I believe we have many of the critical ingredients to do so. There are many positives to build on across the club," Venkatesham said.

Commenting on his departure, Senllehi said: "I'm proud and pleased with the contribution I've made at Arsenal over the past three years, and look forward to enjoying the club's future success. Arsenal is a true footballing institution."

Sanllehi also released a separate statement explaining his departure and appeared to blame the club's need to restructure on the coronavirus pandemic.

“It is with mixed feelings I end my professional relationship with Arsenal…” he wrote.

“..There is no one to blame for this, other than Covid, and the need to adapt and remodel the club’s structure to the new times.”

“I’m very comfortable knowing the club is in great hands, starting from a fully committed ownership to a second to none group of professionals filled with passion and commitment to make this great club successful.

“The foundations are solid and I’m convinced the dawn of a great era is just starting.”