Francis Cahigao, Spartak Moscow’s newly appointed sports director, faces a transition period as he begins shaping the club’s day-to-day operations. His arrival comes amid a broader drive to modernize how the team identifies talent, plans seasons, and coordinates with coaches, medical staff, and management. This view was voiced by Dmitry Gunko, the former head coach of the red-whites, in a commentary for ODDS.ru. The assessment highlights that the path to a more organized and efficient workflow will require careful listening to the club’s realities and a steady hand to implement new routines that align with both performance targets and financial constraints. In short, Cahigao steps into a role that demands patience, persistence, and a clear plan for how scouting, recruitment, and player development will interact with Spartak’s long-term ambitions.
According to Gunko, Cahigao will need time to install his own system, and the success will depend on how well his plan integrates with the realities of a Russian club. “If he cannot find understanding and structure the business as he sees fit, he will leave within a year”, Gunko said. “Every expert needs time, the club must work according to the principles on which it will build itself.” “If they let him do it, it will show in the results”, he added. The emphasis is on building a foundation that can support consistent improvement year after year, with tangible progress in areas such as player evaluation, contract administration, and the alignment of transfer activity with a cohesive sporting strategy. Cahigao’s ability to translate his concepts into everyday practice will be a critical measure of early success, and the club will be watching closely how his framework translates into training routines, performance analytics, and the overall tempo of the squad.
Gunko described Cahigao as a seasoned professional with notable credentials. He also emphasized that the new sports director should work on transfers not only for arrivals but also for departures, so the squad remains balanced and financially sustainable. Gunko noted that ongoing work around high-profile targets linked to Spartak includes Willian Jose and Tomas Tavares, illustrating how Cahigao’s plan already aims to shape the roster through careful, measured moves that support a longer-term vision rather than impulsive signings. The discussion signals a shift toward a more deliberate transfer policy where data, scouting insight, and coach feedback converge to produce a coherent recruitment strategy that fits the club’s identity and competitive calendar.
Spartak announced Cahigao’s appointment on January 3. The 55-year-old specialist’s last club was Galatasaray in Turkey. He previously served as head of scouting at Arsenal in London and was also technical director of the Chilean Football Federation. Those positions gave him exposure to multiple football markets, testing approaches to talent identification, contract negotiations, and performance monitoring across different leagues and environments. The mix of European and South American experiences could help Spartak adopt a more structured, globally informed approach to player evaluation, talent development, and strategic planning. The appointment signals a deliberate move to raise the club’s standards in scouting, recruitment, and development by bringing in leadership with a broad, international toolkit for decision making.
In remarks following the move, Cahigao explained his reasons for joining Spartak and outlined his ambition to contribute to a coherent philosophy across scouting, recruitment, and player development. He spoke about the need for steady progress, transparent communication, and a collaborative dynamic with coaches, executives, and the medical and analytics teams. The plan emphasizes building a strong foundation that can support consistent talent identification, smarter recruitment, and a sustainable player development pathway. Cahigao indicated that the move represents a long-term project rather than a quick fix, and he signaled readiness to align his methods with the club’s culture while gradually introducing new processes that can deliver steady positive results on the field and in the academy network.