Maurizio Micheli: Arsenal in talks to sign Napoli head scout who discovered Khvicha Kvaratskhelia | OneFootball

Maurizio Micheli: Arsenal in talks to sign Napoli head scout who discovered Khvicha Kvaratskhelia | OneFootball

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Evening Standard

·11 November 2025

Maurizio Micheli: Arsenal in talks to sign Napoli head scout who discovered Khvicha Kvaratskhelia

Article image:Maurizio Micheli: Arsenal in talks to sign Napoli head scout who discovered Khvicha Kvaratskhelia

The Gunners continue to bolster their recruitment setup

Article image:Maurizio Micheli: Arsenal in talks to sign Napoli head scout who discovered Khvicha Kvaratskhelia

Arsenal persist with their impressive recruitment drive on and off the pitch


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Arsenal are in talks to add Napoli’s head of scouting Maurizio Micheli to their recruitment team.

Micheli has earned a reputation for being a top talent-spotter during his time working in Italian football.

The 57-year-old is credited with unearthing the likes of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Marek Hamisk.

Arsenal appointed Andrea Berta as their sporting director earlier this year and have been looking to make further additions to their recruitment setup.

Matteo Tognozzi, who used to be Juventus’ head of scouting, was one name looked at in the summer after Arsenal’s assistant sporting director, Jason Ayto, left the club.

Micheli now looks set to join the Gunners recruitment team, though, and the club are in talks to bring him in.

The Italian is currently into his second spell at Napoli after first working there from 2010 to 2015.

He had stints at Hellas Verona and Bologna, before returning to Napoli in 2018 as their head of scouting.

Under his watch, Napoli signed future stars like Kim Min-jae and Kvaratskhelia, with the club crowned Serie A champions in 2023 and this year.

Micheli had spells with Udinese and Brescia before he first went to work for Napoli.

And it was at Brescia that he spotted Hamsik playing for Slovakian side Slovan Bratislava.

“I am in touch with Maurizio Micheli, Napoli’s chief scout. I owe him a lot,” Hamsik told Italian newspaper Il Corriere dello Sport in 2022. “He is the one who brought me to Italy [at Brescia] for the first time.”

Arsenal’s recruitment department has gone through a period of change since Edu resigned as sporting director a year ago.

As well as Berta coming in, James Ellis was promoted from head of recruitment to technical director last summer.

Mark Curtis was made head of football intelligence after previously being the assistant head of recruitment.

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