Den Bosch technical director hints at future Arsenal return | OneFootball

Yousuf Sajjad has hinted that he may someday return to Arsenal, after leaving the club to take on a technical director role at FC Den Bosch.

Yousuf Sajjad left his role as the head of emerging talent at Arsenal last year to take on a new position as a technical director at FC Den Bosch, and for the time being, that’s where his focus lies.

“Right now, I am not looking beyond the project at Den Bosch,” Sajjad told The Athletic. “I am fully committed and focused on putting all my energy into raising our levels over the coming seasons.”

But Sajjad hinted that he could someday return to north London, and this step was simply a necessary part of his development.

“The dream would be a technical director role at the highest level in football,” Sajjad said.

“That’s why I wasn’t too sad about walking away from Arsenal — the club is in a great place but if I want to come back and really contribute, I need to go away and put my own marker down.”

Sajjad is joined Den Bosch in the Netherlands after turning down roles in the Championship and League One, having previously worked for Arsenal and Chelsea in England.

Sajjad was involved in scouting Billy Gilmour and Ethan Ampadu at Chelsea, as well as the likes of Lino Sousa, Reuell Walters, and Salah-Eddine Oulad M’hand at Arsenal.

Perhaps the most interesting Arsenal connection is to Nikolaj Moller, who was brought to north London during Sajjad’s stint at the club and is now on loan at Den Bosch.

Another Arsenal connection in Sajjad’s early days at Den Bosch is Gedion Zelalem, a former Gunners academy midfielder and one of the technical director’s first signings with his new club.

If things go well for Sajjad in the Netherlands over the coming years, perhaps Arsenal could indeed bring him back in a new role someday.