One of the most powerful and important employees of Arsenal Football Club could probably take the tube to Holloway Road, walk to the Emirates Stadium among thousands of supporters, sit in the ground for 90 minutes and make it back home without being recognised by anyone.

If he wanted to, he could probably also enter one of the north London pubs where the Arsenal fans gather to discuss their team. He could listen to the debates about which players should be bought or sold. He could hear the arguments about the forwards at Mikel Arteta’s disposal, and the strikers that must be signed, and leave without saying a word.

And then, when he gets back to work, Jason Ayto would continue to lead Arsenal’s transfer business and negotiations. The 39-year-old lives a professional life that is low profile but highly significant for one of England’s biggest clubs, for whom he is currently the interim sporting director.

Previously the right-hand man of Edu, who resigned in November, Ayto has been at the forefront of Arsenal’s transfer workings for the past few months. He cannot be found on any social media pages, and there is barely a mention of him on the club’s website. If you search for an image of him online, there are only two different results.

The contrast between Ayto and the man he has replaced, then, is enormous. Edu, an Invincible with Arsenal as a player, was one of the most recognisable figures at the club and one of the faces of the brand. On Instagram, the Brazilian boasts almost half a million followers. Ayto does not even have a public profile.

Within the club itself, though, Ayto’s status and influence cannot be questioned. It could even be argued that he is currently the single most important person at Arsenal, given their need for attacking reinforcements in the January window (which was made even more pressing by an injury to Gabriel Jesus during the FA Cup third-round defeat against Manchester United on Sunday). Following Edu’s departure, Ayto is the man who is ultimately responsible for identifying and signing players for Arteta’s squad.

This January window therefore represents a time of intense pressure for Ayto and his recruitment team, but also a moment of opportunity. Ayto is in the running for the permanent sporting director position, and certainly has supporters within the club. If he can excel at the job during this winter window, it would obviously strengthen his case.

Ayto’s rise up the ladder at Arsenal is testament to his considerable abilities and to the amount of internal change at the club over the past decade. He first joined in 2014 as a scout, and then gained significantly more responsibility after Edu overhauled the club’s scouting network in 2020. A fluent Portuguese speaker, Ayto helped Edu to construct a more streamlined, data-savvy recruitment department after a series of high-profile scouts were made redundant.

As Ayto continued to develop, he was encouraged by Edu to focus on contact-building and networking. Such qualities would be crucial in his progression from a scouting role to the position of assistant sporting director. After all, being able to spot a talented player is just one part of the process. The next step is being able to strike a deal that brings them to Arsenal.

Two years ago, in the winter window of 2023, Telegraph Sport received word that Ayto – described by a source at the time as the “right hand of Edu” – had been sent to Spain for talks over a player, and to watch a match with the target’s representatives. It was a major indication that Edu was increasingly happy to delegate responsibility to Ayto, even if Arsenal eventually decided not to push ahead with that particular deal.

Another sign of Ayto’s growing status was his involvement in the arrival of Jurrien Timber from Ajax in the summer of 2023. When Timber and his family arrived in London that summer, Ayto was standing alongside Edu to greet them as they disembarked from the plane in front of the club’s cameras. It is one of the few sightings of Ayto in any club media.

Those who have worked with Ayto describe him as an open and approachable figure, but they also insist that he is far from soft. If the situation requires firmness, Telegraph Sport has been told, then Ayto can be firm.

Crucially, it is clear that he earned the respect of Arteta. “Edu and I probably got a lot of the praise, but the work behind it is done by this guy and Jason has been phenomenal,” said the Arsenal manager in November. Ayto and Arteta talk daily.

For all this, it would be inaccurate to suggest that Ayto is solely responsible for Arsenal’s transfer business – or, perhaps, their lack of it – in this transfer window. Arteta himself plays a huge role in recruitment, while Ayto also has the support of managing director Richard Garlick, who was heavily involved in transfer business during his time as a senior figure at West Bromwich Albion. The recruitment team around Ayto has not changed since Edu left, either.

It should also be said that Ayto can only work within the club’s financial limitations. This is not a case of one young recruitment guru being handed hundreds of millions to play around with. Arsenal are extremely mindful of the Premier League’s spending rules and, perhaps even more pertinently, Uefa’s stricter financial regulations.

A successful window for Arsenal therefore requires them to identify the right player, who is available to join half way through the campaign, at a price that does not overly damage their balance sheet. It is a tough ask but that is the challenge facing Ayto, a man who now has the opportunity to establish himself as one of the big deal-makers in the European game.

Five forwards Arsenal could target

Benjamin Sesko

Arsenal are long-term admirers of the RB Leipzig striker and were keen to explore a deal in the summer, before he decided to stay in Germany. A January move is not impossible but would be hugely expensive.

Nico Williams

Another long-term target for Arsenal, and another player who would be enormously expensive when the transfer fee and wages are combined. There is currently no suggestion that the Athletic Bilbao forward will be available this month.

Randal Kolo Muani

Arsenal are not believed to be among the clubs currently exploring a potential loan deal for the Paris St-Germain and France forward, but his availability surely makes him an intriguing prospect following the injury to Gabriel Jesus on Sunday.

Jonathan David

The Lille striker was the subject of tentative interest from Arsenal a few years ago and is now into the final six months of his contract in France. David has been a prolific scorer in French football in recent seasons and is on course for his third consecutive 20-goal campaign.

Jhon Durán

A left-field option and another player who would not come cheap, but the Aston Villa forward has been linked with a move to Paris St-Germain and would be the sort of “X-factor” forward that Arsenal have been missing. If he is available, and the financial package is doable, why would Arsenal not attempt to join the conversation, at least?