Jonathan Vidallé, who spent part of his playing career in Chile before moving to Europe, is now the man leading Arsenal’s scouting operations in South America. 

In a detailed interview with ADN Deportes, the Argentine gave an in-depth look into how one of the Premier League’s biggest clubs identifies and evaluates talent across the continent.

Vidallé, who once featured for Provincial Osorno in the late 1990s, later joined Boca Juniors’ technical department. He’s now been with Arsenal for over a decade. One of his notable discoveries was Chilean midfielder Marcelo Allende, whom he took to London in 2016, where he was mentored by Alexis Sánchez.

Asked about his approach, Vidallé explained that despite the growing use of data and technology, he still relies on intuition and live observation.

“Each year there are more tools and statistics to summarise players. I prefer to trust my instincts. Having been a footballer, I like watching matches live. You see how the kid behaves, how he reacts to the atmosphere and the opposition.”

For the Arsenal scout, the job goes far beyond a quick impression: “You can’t just watch a player once or twice and decide if he’s good or not....