Arsenal have been known to provide one of the Premier League 's most immaculate playing surfaces at the Emirates .

But the man behind their carpet-like pitch, Reece Watson, is now set to leave the club after the January transfer window.

Watson has spent 13 years in North London, progressing from assistant groundsman to head groundsman and working closely with Arsene Wenger to provide the perfect pitch for their free-flowing football.

Watson wrote on LinkedIn: "After 13 years at the club, I have decided to move on to the next chapter.

"I will leave my position in February to start a new and innovative company which will approach things differently and I'm confident will have a great impact on our industry.

Reece Watson has headed up Arsenal's team of groundstaff (
Image:
Arsenal FC)

"I would like to thank Arsenal FC for the amazing opportunities they have provided me, for which I will be forever grateful.

"I leave behind a fantastic team and indeed some of my closest friends, all of whom have had such a positive influence on my life.

"I’m very excited for what the future holds, watch this space..."

The Emirates is one of the top playing surfaces in the Premier League (
Image:
Arsenal FC)

Watson has previously spoken of his role working alongside former boss Wenger in an interview with thehotstepanovs.com earlier this year.

He said: "We have built up a relationship with Arsene that he respects the work we do, and he knows we will do all we can to ensure the surface is in the condition it needs to be for the football we want to play.

"We know Arsene wants the pitch to play as quickly as possible with the same consistency throughout the whole season."