Report: Recruitment ace left Arsenal last month, now targeting two players Gunners once wanted

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Arsenal were interested in signing Iwane Bowat and Dennis Gyamfi once upon a time; now they’re wanted by ex-Gunners scout Yousuf Sajjad.

Sajjad had history at Brentford, Reading and Chelsea before heading to Arsenal back in 2019.

First arriving as Lead Recruitment analyst, Sajjad became Arsenal’s head of emerging talent from the Under-17 to Under-23 levels.

Sajjad decided to leave Arsenal last month having been offered the chance to become sporting director at Dutch side Den Bosch.

The club famed for giving Ruud van Nistelrooy his start in football, Den Bosch play in the second tier of Dutch football and are looking to move up with Sajjad’s input.

Sajjad has only been in the job for a matter of weeks but it looks like some of his Arsenal work will be featured at Den Bosch.

Yousuf Sajjad targets one ex-Gunner and two former Arsenal targets

The Athletic’s David Ornstein reports that Sajjad is looking to sign a few new faces for Den Bosch.

One of them is midfielder Gedion Zelalem, who was backed to become a star in his early days with Arsenal.

Now 25, Zelalem is a free agent and hasn’t quite managed to live up to his potential.

Formerly of Rangers too, Zelalem has been without a club since leaving New York City FC last year and he is set to join Den Bosch for training.

The same goes for right back Dennis Gyamfi, who is allegedly unattached even if Transfermarkt suggest that he is still with Dinamo Zagreb.

Gyamfi, formerly of Leicester City, was actually wanted by Sajjad and Arsenal as a talent for the future back in 2020.

No deal materialised and Gyamfi headed off to Croatia after leaving the Foxes, but Sajjad hasn’t forgotten about the right back.

Then there is Fulham defender Ibane Bowat, with Den Bosch already agreeing a deal for the 20-year-old.

Again, Arsenal wanted Bowat during Sajjad’s time at the club and even entered talks in 2021 according to reports, but Bowat stayed with the Cottagers.

Bowat will now join Den Bosch and could be followed by Gyamfi, with Sajjad potentially signing a couple of players he may well have wanted at Arsenal.