Huge success in France 

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Luís Campos has emerged as a serious contender to replace Edú as sporting director at Arsenal. The North London club are currently evaluating potential replacements for the Brazilian after his shock decision to leave after five years. Strengthened by his strong bond with Mikel Arteta, Edú has been instrumental in the transformation of Arsenal across his tenure and his absence represents a considerable blow to the club’s ambition of winning trophies again.

Edu is currently serving his six-month gardening period with reputable outlets reporting that Campos is under serious consideration from Arsenal. The 60-year-old is currently a strategic advisor at PSG but his contract expires in Paris next summer and he’s understood to hold ambitions to work in the English Premier League. Campos forged his reputation as one of the most successful talent spotters at Monaco and Lille when he unearthed a plethora of outstanding youngsters. The recruitment expert built title-winning sides at both Ligue 1 clubs and we’ve analysed his impressive transfer record at both clubs.

Who is Luís Campos?

Campos’ playing career in his homeland was cut short due to injury and he retired in 1985, aged just 27, to pursue a career in management. The Portuguese guru embarked on a relatively modest managerial career as he progressed through the divisions to eventually manage top-flight side Gil Vicente on two occasions. Vicente famously ended Porto’s unbeaten streak in 2004 under Jose Mourinho and Campos eventually worked under the legendary Portuguese boss as a tactical analyst at Real Madrid.

But Campos truly made his name in the game after joining Monaco as Sporting Director in 2013. Monaco progressed from mid-table mediocrity to European contenders and Campos’ incredible recruitment firmly laid the foundations for ending PSG’s dominance by winning the title in 2017. Campos departed the Stade Louis II stadium in the summer before Monaco’s title triumph to join Lille and he replicated his success in Northern France. Campos built a formidable squad through excellent recruitment that proceeded to win Ligue 1 in 2021 – just six months after he left due to a change in ownership. After leaving Lille, Campos spent brief spells as an advisor at Galatasaray and Celta Vigo but his main role has been at PSG where he’s modified their transfer policy.

Luís Campos’ incredible recruitment at Monaco and Lille

Campos developed his unrivalled reputation for unearthing future stars at Monaco, where he also oversaw Kylian Mbappé’s progression into the first-team. The recruitment expert identified several exceptional talents and signed their modest fees before they were eventually sold for cast profits. As the graphic below illustrates, Thomas Lemar was signed for just €4 million from Caen in 2015 before being sold to Atletico Madrid for €72m in 2018 while Anthony Martial was plucked from Lyon’s academy for €5m before Manchester United signed him for €60m in 2015.

 Fabinho, Bernardo Silva and James Rodríguez were also all signed by Campos at Monaco before departing for huge profits. Central to Campos’ achievements at Monaco and beyond was his role in developing the ‘Scouting System Pro’ software, which uses data to unearth future stars. Campos’ eye for talent continued to be evident at Lille when he enjoyed huge success in the transfer market. The €62m profit Lille received from Arsenal’s €80m acquisition of Nicolas Pépé is the biggest of any Campos signing in history after acquiring the winger from Angers in 2017. Campos signed Rafael Leão from Sporting CP in his homeland while Victor Osimhen scored 18 goals during his single season at Lille before being sold to Napoli.

Has Luís Campos been successful at PSG?

Campos’ spell at PSG hasn’t received the notoriety of his previous two French clubs and it’s widely viewed as less successful. He was appointed as their strategic advisor in July 2022 and tasked with focusing on ‘performance, recruitment, and the organisational side’ of the French giants. PSG have spent €771m across his three seasons with the results mixed but there’s been a clear change in policy to sign younger talents rather than ageing stars like Lionel Messi on massive wages. Campos’ tenure at PSG will be judged across the next few seasons when it will be determined if he’s built a squad capable of challenging in the Champions League.