He is the scout who helped bring players such as Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie and Gabriel Martinelli to Arsenal - and also tried to land Lionel Messi.
But after 24 years of service, the club's former head of recruitment Francis Cagigao left by mutual agreement in August.
As he weighs up his options before deciding his next move, London-born Cagigao, 51, spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live's European football expert Guillem Balague about his time at Arsenal, the art of identifying talent, and just how close the club came to signing Argentina and Barcelona icon Messi.