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Roberto Olabe best signings as Mikel Arteta names preferred Sporting Director to replace Edu Gaspar at Arsenal
Arsenal are still yet to replace Edu Gaspar.
The Brazilian surprisingly vacated his role as Sporting Director at the Emirates Stadium back at the start of November – leaving Mikel Arteta without his right hand man midway through tᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚhe season.
Dan Ashworth has been linked to Arsenal after Manchester United de♓cided to part ways with the 53-year-old just 159 d💛ays into his tenure.
However, a story from the now states that Arteta wants Roberto Olabe to be the new Sporting Director at Arsenal – with the Spaniard leaving Real Sociedad at the end of the season🃏.
On that note, let’s take a look at the 57-year-old’s best signings sin🍷ce becoming a Sporting Director.
Roberto Olabe helped kickstart Martin Odegaard’s career and secured Alexander Isak for bargain fee
The man from Vitoria has done a tremendous job at Real Sociedad – to say the least – with his third spell at the club prov🐽ing especially fruitful.
Olabe brought Alexander Isak to San Sebastien for just €10m (£8.3m) back ꧙in the summ🐽er of 2019 – eventually selling the Swede to Newcastle for £63m, a record sale for Real Sociedad.
The Spaniard also decided to sign Odegaard on loan from Real Madrid for🅠 the 2019/20 campaign, helping the Norway international kickstart his career and ultimately become captain of Arsenal just a few years later.
Real Sociedad al🀅so won the Copa del Rey in that 2019/20 campaign with the team Olab💖e helped build.
Furthermore,🥂 Olabe has not just been alert to young talents, sanctioning cheap deals for David Silva and Nacho Monrealಞ to inject some experience into Real Sociedad.
sta🍎te that he was also pivotal in e⛄nsuring iconic figures like Xabi Prieto and Imanol Agirretxe left Real Sociedad honourably.
Most impressiv🅷ely – however – Olabe made a real impact after being handed the responsibility of youth development.
The likes of Robin Le Normand – who was later sold to Atletico Madrid for £32m – rose through the ranks under his guidance, as did Mikel Oyarzabal, who scored the winner for Spain in the final of UEFA Euro 2024, and Martin Zubimendi, who Liverpool want to sign in 2025.
Mikel Arteta knows Roberto Olabe well
Coincidentally, it was actually Olabe who brought Arteta to Real Sociedad from Rangers way bac✤k in 2004 while working😼 as manager of Real Sociedad, so the pair know each other well.
Ultimately, thanks to Olabe, Real Sociedad have become one of 🌜the most respected clubs in Spain, one known for going about their business properly and effectively, so if he does replace Edu in north London, Arsenal fans should be very excited.