Luis Campos discovered Kylian Mbappé and his history of discovering gems may have earned him a place at Arsenal
In the world of modern football, clubs live and die by their recruitment.
This explains why sporting directors and chief scouts have become so important to the world's biggest teams, with competition for top talent at an all-time high.
One of the most successful sports directors in recent years was Edu Gaspar, who helped Mikel Arteta fold Arsenal from a mid-table team to Premier League title contenders.
So when it was announced in November 2024 that he would leave, took everyone by surprise.
Edu will become part of Evangelos Marinakis' club portfolio, which includes Premier League side Nottingham Forest, while his replacement is sought at Arsenal.
There are some very credible candidates, but the most notable is Luis Campos.
Reports suggest that the Gunners have done the Paris Saint Germain transfer one of his main objectives to the guru to replace Edu.
And when you look at the players he has signed and the clubs he has worked for, it is easy to see why.
Campos is now 60 years old and has been involved in football since he was 27, when he managed Uniao de Leiria in his native Portugal.
In truth, his coaching career was nothing to write home about and included three relegations with three different clubs.
His greatest moment as a coach came in 2004 when his team Gil Vicente won Jose Mourinho'stood.
This ended their 27-game unbeaten streak, but it was not the last time Campos met Mourinho.
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In fact, after deciding to turn his back on management, the Portuguese citizen set up a training company that provided equipment to coaches.
A unique tactical board was even made for Mourinho.
This was the beginning of a special relationship that changed Campos' life.
In 2012, Mourinho announced that his compatriot would join him in real Madrid be an explorer
Here he discovered a little-known Brazilian right-back known as Fabinho, who later became a central defensive midfielder and a Champions League winner with Liverpool.
Campos was popular at Real Madrid, but a role in Monaco Being the club's sports director tempted him and it was here where we saw both sides of his work.
Significant signings of Luis Campos
Joao Moutinho – From Porto to Monaco – £20.8m – 2013
Bernardo Silva – Benfica to Monaco – £13.1 million – 2014
Fabinho – Rio Ave to Monaco – £5 million – 2015
Tiemoue Bakayoko – Rennes to Monaco – £6.69 million – 2014
Anthony Martial – Lyon B to Monaco – £4.1 million – 2013
Thomas Lemar – HM Fall to Monaco – £3.3 million – 2015
Victor Osimhen – Royal Charleroi to Lille – £17 million – 2019
Rafael Leao – Sporting Lisbon to Lille – £16.8 million – 2018
Nicolas Pepe – From Angers to Lille – £15 million – 2017
Gabriel Magalhaes – Avai to Lille – £3m – 2017
Sven Botman – Ajax to Lille – £6.69 million – 2020
Initially, Monaco were happy to spend money, so James Rodríguez and Radamel Falcao came on.
But during the following season, the purse strings tightened and Campos was forced to seek out players for low fees and high resale value.
This led to Bernardo Silva, Fabinho and Tiemoue Bakayoko joining for minimal fees, while Campos also discovered some Kylian Mbappé in the Monaco youth team.
The pair have since shared a special relationship, with Mbappé even claiming that Campos “saved” him while at PSG after he was told he would not play for them again after refusing to sign a new contract and deciding to leave for nothing in the summer. 2024 to join The Whites.
Of course, some of these players left and were replaced by equally cheap replacements, culminating in Monaco winning Ligue 1 in the 2016/17 season.
Campos had already left at that point, but it was his signings that ended PSG's run of Ligue 1 titles.
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Lille came calling soon after and Campos worked his magic once again, signing Victor Osimhen, Rafael Leao, Gabriel Magalhaes and Nicolas Pepe.
Osimhen and Leao were sold for huge profits to help create the team that lifted the Ligue 1 title in the 2020/21 campaign, but again, Campos was not there to see the fruits of their labor as he left in December 2020.
Gabriel was a bargain buy at £3m and Lille made a tidy profit on the defender Arsenal signed for £23m in the 2020 summer transfer window. Under Arteta, the defender has become a mainstay at the heart of the defense along with William Saliba.
Their partnership was fruitful as Arsenal posed a serious challenge for the title. city of manchester in the 2023/24 season when they conceded just 29 goals to make them the stingiest in the league.
Campos is now at PSG, but he has seen Mbappé leave and has not renewed his contract, so Arsenal are in their sights.
Given the talent he has spotted, Arsenal fans should be very excited at the prospect of Europe's leading talent scout moving to the Emirates.
