For most people Candy Crush is the continual source of notifications that clog up their Facebook feed. For Arsenal it could be the final piece of the puzzle in their bid for glory next season.

The Gunners have appointed Russian Mikhail Zhilkin, whose most notable claim to fame prior his move into the world of football was as one of the minds behind the all-conquering mobile app, to their backroom staff, where he will work as a data scientist in director of high performance Darren Burgess’ team.

Standard Sport understands Zhilkin’s remit will be to use the wide array of data Arsenal gather on their squad to optimise performance and minimise injury as the Gunners look to exploit possible marginal gains that could make a significant difference during the season.

Zhilkin has no previous experience in football but Arsenal are keen to broaden their knowledge base, particularly in relation to Burgess’ department. The Australian, appointed last summer, has proven to be a popular and innovative figure around the club.

Significantly Zhilkin’s responsibilities will be confined to player fitness and performance. He will have no input on tactics or recruitment.

Zhilkin spent four years as a senior data scientist/tech lead at King.com and oversaw the launch of games Candy Crush Soda and Candy Crush Jelly. The Russian has a masters’ degree in applied physics and mathematics from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.

The arrival of Zhilkin is perhaps the most left-field appointment of the major overhaul of Arsenal’s backroom conducted by chief executive Ivan Gazidis over the past 12 months. That has seen Raul Sannlehi and Sven Mislintat arrive as directors of football relations and recruitment, with former Team Sky contracts expert Huss Fahmy having also joined up at the Emirates.