Everyone Arsenal signed with James Ellis as head of recruitment rated and slated as he quits

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Arsenal are set to lose their former head of recruitment and technical director, James Ellis, following nearly five years and over £560million splashed out in transfers. Ellis declared his departure from the Gunners on social media on Thursday, stating it was "time to take the next step".

Under Ellis' supervision as head of recruitment, the Gunners brought in 17 players between 2023 and 2025. He also spearheaded the transfer strategy last summer after stepping into the role of technical director.

The 46-year-old joined Arsenal as a senior scout from Fulham , ascending to the position of head of recruitment two years later. He reported to Edu Gasper, who was the club's technical director at the time.

Edu transitioned to the role of sporting director before resigning, leading Ellis to assume the technical director role for seven months before announcing his own exit this week. In a LinkedIn post, the lifelong fan said: "Time to take the next step.

" Sport is a wonderful sector to work in, and I am very, very lucky to have worked in the industry for 25 plus years. My journey in sport, from participation, rejection, education, coaching, scouting and senior leadership has made me who I am, and I owe this exposure to so many people along the way.

"I recently departed Arsenal Football Club, where in nearly five years I gave my all in an attempt to help contribute to supporting the development of elite level club and its high-performance environment. The most notable memory of my time there was coming across a number of wonderful people who (from various backgrounds and various levels of expertise), saw the world of opportunity, responsibility, custodianship and contribution the same as I do. I would like to wish the club the very best for the future.

"Thank you to everyone who has so far in my career, helped shape me, learn so much, and helped me find a course that supports my desire to support others, fulfil their potential and support organisations achieve their ambitions. I look forward to the next opportunity to continue to do so."

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Here, Mirror Football has assessed all the players Arsenal brought in while Ellis oversaw transfers from 2023 through to last summer.

Declan Rice is arguably the standout name on this list of signings. Purchased from West Ham for a club-record sum of £100m, the midfielder captained the Hammers to their first major trophy since 1965 and arrived at the Gunners weeks afte his Europa Conference League triumph.

So far, Rice has contributed to 52 goals in 147 matches for Arsenal and has established himself as a formidable figure in the midfield. Although his transfer fee was hotly contested at the time of his signing, supporters would argue that the England international has become one of Arsenal's most important players.

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Kai Havertz made the contentious switch from one side of London to the other when he departed Chelsea to sign for Arsenal. The forward joined for a reported sum of £65m and has 47 goal contributions in 101 appearances for the club.

A few points have been deducted for the German due to his injury history in north London, missing 61 matches and a total of 265 days due to various fitness problems. The striker has netted some incredibly crucial goals for the Gunners and is spearheading the title push for Mikel Arteta , but needs to demonstrate more consistency in front of goal.

The Dutch defender transferred in the same window as Havertz and Rice, arriving from Ajax for a £34m fee. Timber's debut was a Community Shield victory over Manchester City in 2023, securing silverware at the first attempt.

However, the Netherlands international made his Premier League debut a week later and sustained an ACL injury just 50 minutes into the match. He was sidelined for most of the season and didn't make a return to the first team until the final 20 minutes of the final day win against Everton .

Timber has progressed significantly since this injury setback, netting six goals and providing 11 assists while establishing himself as one of the Premier League's most formidable right-backs.

David Raya initially arrived on loan from Brentford for the 2023/24 campaign. He made 41 appearances for the Gunners, including nine in the Champions League , and registered 20 clean sheets.

Consequently, Raya signed permanently in summer 2024 and has since cemented his place as the first-choice goalkeeper. He has kept 60 clean sheets in 136 appearances and clocked up 12,300 minutes for Arsenal, and is now part of the debate over who is the world's finest goalkeeper.

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Going into the summer 2024 window, Riccardo Calafiori signed for an initial fee of £33.6m that could rise to £42m with add-ons. The defender has been another who has battled with injury in north London, missing 40 matches and 218 days since arriving two years ago.

The left-back has made 29 appearances so far this season and contributed four goals, including an opening-day strike against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Mikel Merino arrived at Arsenal from Real Sociedad, having previously spent a campaign in the Premier League with Newcastle . Following the completion of a four-year contract with the Gunners for just shy of £30m, the midfielder fractured his shoulder during his initial training session and wasn't available until October.

Merino has established himself as a versatile option for Arsenal, being utilised in midfield and as a forward to cover for the then-injured Havertz. Consequently, the 29-year-old has netted 15 goals and provided eight assists across 77 outings, with 23 of those appearances coming as the primary attacking focal point.

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After considerable success with Manchester City, Sterling moved to Chelsea in 2022 but failed to replicate those same standards in London. He arranged a loan move to Arsenal in 2024 and found the net on his first start during a 5-1 victory over Bolton Wanderers in the League Cup.

With 28 outings and just one goal - plus five assists - Mikel Arteta permitted the attacker to head back to Chelsea. He was sidelined at Stamford Bridge and was forced to train apart from the squad, ultimately joining Feyenoord earlier this year.

Neto signed for Arsenal on a season-long loan from Bournemouth on deadline day. He featured just once in that campaign, conceding one goal as the Gunners defeated Girona 2-1 in the Champions League. The goalkeeper has now joined Botafogo, signing a two-year contract with the Brazilian team after a failed loan stint in north London.

The 20-year-old shot-stopper departed Ajax's academy to sign for the Premier League giants in 2024 for approximately £1m. He made his debut start for the Gunners against Preston North End in the Carabao Cup, keeping a clean sheet as they triumphed 3-0.

He replaced Kepa Arrizabalaga in the FA Cup earlier in February in a 4-0 victory over Wigan Athletic. Setford has clocked up 15 appearances for the U21s side, maintaining six clean sheets and conceding 16 goals.

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By this point, Ellis had assumed the role of technical director at Arsenal but spearheaded the recruitment strategy for the summer 2025 window. Viktor Gyokeres emerged as the marquee signing for Arteta to address the long-standing striker issue.

He arrived amid much hype, having scored 97 goals and provided 28 assists in 102 appearances for Sporting CP. The transfer was protracted over the summer, with reports suggesting Gyokeres missed training to expedite a move to north London.

The Swedish international eventually inked a five-year deal for an initial fee of £55m, which could rise to £64m with add-ons. With his debut season still underway, the 27-year-old has netted 16 goals and assisted twice in a commendable introduction to the Premier League.

Gyokeres has encountered considerable scrutiny for failing to replicate the goalscoring form of his Sporting CP days with Arsenal thus far, but still has ample opportunity to alter the narrative surrounding his spell in north London.

The Spain international completed a switch from Real Sociedad to Arsenal following the club's activation of his £55m release clause. The fee could escalate to nearly £60m with add-ons and Zubimendi became the second acquisition of the most recent summer transfer window.

The 27-year-old has featured 44 times from defensive midfield, netting six goals and providing three assists. His reliability has proved a genuine asset for the Gunners amid previous injury concerns, clocking up over 2,600 minutes in the Premier League and 3,575 minutes across all competitions.

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Eberechi Eze secured a homecoming to Arsenal from Crystal Palace , having previously spent five years in the youth academy in north London. He was unveiled just ahead of the club's opening home fixture of the season against Leeds United and observed from the stands.

Since then, Eze has emerged as Arsenal's latest derby hero following a haul of five goals across two victories against Tottenham in the north London rivalry. He became the first player to score five in the derby in a single season since the 1930s.

Despite these heroics, Eze has contributed 15 goals in 43 appearances for Arsenal and has shown only sporadic moments of brilliance. While he can be impressive on his day, Eze still needs to prove he can justify his hefty transfer fee.

Madueke followed Havertz in transitioning from Chelsea to Arsenal, penning a five-year contract with a price tag of £48.5m. He was sidelined for 15 matches from September until November due to a knee injury, sustained during a 1-1 draw against Manchester City.

Since then, the ex-Blue has contributed to 11 goals from 31 appearances for the Gunners and has offered much-needed quality from the bench for Arteta.

The centre-back made the move from Valencia to Arsenal for a sum of £13m, signing a long-term deal. The 21-year-old has so far clocked up 25 appearances and proved a competent stand-in for the much-admired William Saliba against Liverpool in September.

The young defender has been absent from a few matchday squads due to injury, but is likely seen as a future star for the north London club.

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Kepa is the third permanent - and fourth player overall - to transition from Chelsea to Arsenal on this list. Primarily viewed as Raya's understudy, the Spaniard started every match in the Carabao Cup for Arsenal - including their 2-0 defeat in the final to City.

The 31-year-old has three appearances in the FA Cup and one in the Champions League, and faced criticism for City's opening goal at Wembley on Sunday.

Defensive midfielder Norgaard arrived from Brentford following six years in the Premier League establishing his credentials. The original £10m fee increased to £15m with add-ons and he has filled in at centre-back for two matches during injury problems.

In total, the 32-year-old has featured 18 times in Arsenal colours, providing three assists while still waiting for his maiden goal for the club.

Piero Hincapie may be on loan from Bayer Leverkusen this season, but his playing record suggests a permanent transfer is being seriously considered. Arsenal possesses a £45m option to buy that could be triggered in the summer.