Barker joins Arsenal Academy recruitment team from QPR

Arsenal have added Dean Barker to the recruitment team at their Academy.

Barker has spent the past three years as the Head of Emerging Talent at QPR.

Looking back on his time in west London, he posted on X: “Huge thanks to Lee McCarthy for bringing me to the club and all the scouts for their hard work and commitment.

“PL Cup winners, youngest-ever first team squad, debuts and internationals are memories I’ll always cherish.”

Barker has also been a PE teacher for more than 20 years, working at St John’s School in Enfield, where Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri was one of his pupils.