Arsenal have confirmed the departure of Raul Sanllehi as the club's head of football.
The 53-year-old joined the Gunners in November 2017 from Barcelona and was a key figure in player negotiations in his three years in north London.
As the Spaniard leaves, with immediate effect, it has also been confirmed that Vinai Venkatesham will take the lead from Sanllehi moving forward.
Once the announcement was made on Saturday afternoon, he made a public statement on the situation.
"I am thankful to Stan, Josh and the rest of the Arsenal Board for their trust in me. I will miss working closely with my colleague and friend Raul, but I am looking forward to this new challenge," he told Arsenal's official website.
"There is much work to do to return Arsenal to the top of the game where we belong, which is what our fans rightly demand.
"While this will not happen overnight, I believe we have many of the critical ingredients to do so. There are many positives to build on across the club.
"While football faces uncertainties ahead as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, I am confident Arsenal will emerge strongly and look forward with confidence."
In a statement on behalf of Arsenal's owners, Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, Stan and Josh Kroenke said: “Raul has made a big contribution during his time with us and will always be part of the Arsenal family.
"We thank him for all his hard work and expertise and wish him every future success.
“We have no doubt that Vinai is the right person to take the club forward. He has shown outstanding leadership during the current crisis and is held in high regard internally and externally. We know everyone will rally round him so we can move forward successfully.”
