Who is Matteo Tognozzi? Arsenal in advanced talks to appoint renowned talent-spotter | OneFootball

The Italian was instrumental in the foundation of Juventus Next Gen and could now work alongside Andrea Berta at Arsenal

The addition of Tognozzi would be a coup for the Gunners, not least because he was being courted by his old club Juventus.

During his time at Juve, Tognozzi unearthed and signed the likes of Dean Huijsen, Kenan Yildiz and Matias Soule.

The Italian club wanted Tognozzi to return this summer and oversee their scouting department, but he is instead closing in on a move to Arsenal.

It is thought that Tognozzi was open to rejoining Juve, however not in the role suggested to him, and so he has explored opportunities abroad.

Reports in Italy state that Juve are now looking to hire Viktor Bezhani, who worked with their general director, Damien Comolli, at Toulouse.

Arsenal have space in their recruitment department as Jason Ayto, who was their assistant sporting director, is leaving the club.

Ayto has been with Arsenal for over 10 years and stepped up to be their interim sporting director in January following the resignation of Edu in November last year. Staff at Arsenal were informed last month that Ayto is leaving.

Jason Ayto is leaving Arsenal after over a decade of service

Arsenal FC via Getty Images

Tognozzi left Juve in 2023 and revealed in an interview with Tuttosport at the time that he felt he had “achieved my goals”.

“After six and a half years, perhaps, a circle has simply closed. I could have stayed in Turin to enjoy the results that were arriving, but my nature pushes me to always look for new stimuli,” he said.

Tognozzi earned a reputation at Juventus for his ability to spot young talent, such as Soule, while his relentless work ethic also earned him praise.

“I saw Matias live, for the first time, in a Velez v Boca match of the Argentine Under 12 championship,” he told Tuttosport.

“Obviously at the time he could’t sign for us, only that some time later he had shown himself with Argentina during a tournament in the Algarve attended by scouts from all over the world: the advantage of knowing him for a long time could have gone up in smoke.

“Instead thanks to the relationship built in those years at the time of the big leap to Europe he only wanted Juventus, even though at least 10 to 12 big clubs were ready to do anything for him.”

I could have stayed in Turin to enjoy the results that were arriving, but my nature pushes me to always look for new stimuli

Matteo Tognozzi

Tognozzi also tried to pull off high-profile moves for Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham after identifying them.

“I am definitely thinking of Bellingham, who we were close to in 2019,” Tognozzi said in 2023.

“In a few days I will meet him at the Bernabeu and it makes me feel quite strange to think back to when I met him and his extraordinary family: it is a memory I jealously guard. In that case, however, he had simply decided to continue his growth path in his usual club, Birmingham.

“We were really one step away from Haaland. It was November 2017, I had arrived in July, so he was one of the first contacts I made at Juventus.

The arrival of Tognozzi could boost Arsenal’s attempts to bolster their youth teams, which they are actively recruiting for.