Arsenal’s former chief scout, Steve Rowley, could reportedly be heading to West Bromwich Albion.

Rowley, who was in north London for 35 years, could allegedly be heading to the Hawthorns soon after being replaced by Borussia Dortmund’s ex-chief scout, Sven Mislintat, in November.

Rowley had been rumoured to be stepping down for over a week before the club finally announced their new head of recruitment because apparently he was unhappy with shouldering the blame for failed transfers in the past.

Interestingly, rather than release a separate statement thanking the scout for his three-and-a-half decades of service, Arsenal sent their well-wishes at the end of their Mislintat announcement, which does seem to suggest that everything wasn’t rosy between Rowley and the club. However, I could very well be wrong.

“We would like to thank Steve Rowley for all his hard work over many years for the club,” Wenger told Arsenal’s official club website.

“He has been a key figure in our recruitment of so many top players and has travelled thousands and thousands of miles, watching hundreds of games for us during his time at the club. We wish him well for the future.”

Mislintat is the scout responsible for finding the likes Robert Lewandowski, Shinji Kagawa, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ousmane Dembele. So while it’s sad that Rowley has stepped down after being at the club since before Arsene Wenger took up the role as manager, it feels like this is definitely a positive change.

Although it’s easy to blame Wenger and the players – the men we see on the pitch – the backroom staff must also be held responsible for their failings over the last few years. We need some new faces and approaches behind the scenes.

If Rowley does go to West Brom, we wish him all the best.