Former Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas has paid tribute to Francis Cagigao after the scout's lengthy spell with the Gunners was brought to an end.
The highly-rated scout, who played a key role in Arsenal's captures of Fabregas, Hector Bellerin and, more recently, Gabriel Martinelli, is to leave the Emirates Stadium.
It is widely reported that Cagigao, and other members of the scouting team, are among the 55 redundancies that the club announced this week.
The timing of the announcement has been heavily criticised, with Arsenal pushing to hand Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang a new contract and looking to sign Willian on a free transfer from Chelsea.
In a social media post, former Gunner Fabregas thanked Cagigao for the role he played in his career with a message that read:
"Thank you for the 24+ years of devotion, respect, loyalty and love you gave to Arsenal.
"Nothing would have been the same for me if you didn't spot me at 15-years-old.
"I wish you all the very best for the future.
"Your next team will be lucky to have your football brain."
Cagigao's departure represents a significant change to the transfer approach at Arsenal, with it reported that an agency-led set-up will now be used.
