TA: Former Arsenal Director Aito takes over as Brighton Sports Director and will lead the 2030 Vision

TA Arsenal and Brighton explained the deal to the team.

Why did Brighton appoint Jason Eto?

In the words of team owner and chairman Tony Bloom, they hope to "update" the technology department with "new leadership and direction." Aito is the ideal candidate for their next move.

Eto has been in Arsenal for 11 years and has previously held signing and technical positions at Norwich City and Chicago Flames Football Club, with extensive experience.

At Arsenal, he was promoted from scout and chief scout to assistant director and then to interim sports director. In 2019, former midfielder Edu joined the Arsenal board of directors and initially served as technical director, which started his career.

Brazilians were impressed by Aito's work. The two hit it off because Aito's wife is Brazilian and she can speak fluent Portuguese.

Why did they part ways with David Will?

Will served as technical director since May 2022 after Dan Asheworth switched to Newcastle (and subsequently joined Manchester United).

The 55-year-old former Ranger, Everton and Scottish defender joined the club in 2018 as loan manager. After a brief tenure as Asheworth’s assistant, he quickly promoted to technical director.

He is humble and calm, respected in football, and his qualities complement the club's philosophy - but when he thinks about it, his promotion may have come too quickly. He just received his master's degree in sports coaching from Manchester City University, but has never served as athletic director before.

The original plan was to let Will study under Ashworth for two or three years before taking over. After Ashworth left office, the succession plan was advanced, which led to a gap in Will's experience in some aspects. The club believes that Will has done a good job in many aspects, but there are still some shortcomings.

The opportunity to facilitate change is the "Vision 2030" formulated by the club, which is how to revive the situation in the next five years. In an environment where data is increasingly driving the club's signing department, replacing Will with Aito, who is 15 years younger than Will and has an analytical background, is part of this process.

What is the goal of "Vision 2030"?

CEO and Vice Chairman Paul Barber gave an overview of key areas over the past 18 months and received board approval at the summer annual general meeting.

The purpose is to identify the next steps required to improve club standards. The goal of the men's team is to be among the top ten in the Premier League, and the goal of the women's team is to be among the top four in the women's Super League, both of which have been raised to a new level.

They hope that both adult teams can actively strive for European qualifications. Led by former head coach Roberto Dezelby, the men's team finished sixth in the league in the 2022-23 season, qualifying for the European Cup for the first time, and reaching the UEFA Cup quarterfinals in the following season.

In their first season as Fabian Xucele, they missed the European qualification with eighth place.

In April this year, Mark Locke was appointed as the club's first chief technology officer, which is also the result of the new five-year plan. The IT expert has served as Chief Product Officer of British Airways and has served on various directorships for more than nine years at Tesco.

The project's timeline coincides with the new contract signed by Barber in April 2024, which lasts until 2030.

Why are the changes now, two weeks after the summer transfer window ends?

They don't want to disrupt the board before the transfer window opens, because the handover time will be short and Will's successor cannot understand how the club operates.

Therefore, the team maintained the status quo. Shortly after the transfer window closed, Bloom and Barber confirmed again that this was the right decision and the best time to take action.

Barber informed Will on Friday morning, when the club announced his resignation at 10 a.m. In recent weeks, Will has already had a premonition that changes are coming. He left without complaints about the club's choice. He will carefully evaluate and then decide whether to take a break or to make a fortune directly. He shouldn't be short of the right job opportunities.

From Eto's point of view, he was very happy with the opportunity. He believes Brighton is the ideal club in his career at this stage, and he is also happy with the timing, not during the transfer window.

Brighton has not officially announced any news. The club and Aito hope to show respect for Will because his departure is still immature, but the former centre-back has been struggling in football for a long time to appreciate the cruel nature of football, and Brighton is also known for his smart plans.