Folha Seca #79 – Francis Cagigao, head of global recruitment and strategy at Galatasaray SK

Episode 79 welcomes Francis Cagigao, Head of Global Recruitment and Strategy at Galatasaray. With a career that includes serving as Sporting Director for the Chilean Football Federation and rising from Scout to Head of Scouting at Arsenal, Francis brings a wealth of expertise to the conversation. In this episode, he reflects on his role in shaping Arsenal’s global scouting network, a project initiated nearly three decades ago, and examines the key pillars Arsène Wenger sought to establish at the Club. Francis also shares his insights into the specific technical and tactical qualities he believes set top players apart, how to improve the accuracy of predicting a young player’s future success, the ideal size of a scouting department, and the role of data in recruitment. He also offers his perspective on whether first-team coaches should adapt to the evaluation criteria used in scouting—or if it should work the other way around. Additionally, among other topics, Francis discusses his findings during his due diligence upon joining the Chilean Football Federation and highlights areas where his current tenure at Galatasaray has revealed Turkish football can improve.