Edu is leaving his role as sporting director at Arsenal after more than five successful years with the Gunners, the North London club confirmed Monday.
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Our partners in the UK at Sky Sports say Edu has been approached to work for Evangelos Marinakis’s collection of clubs which include Nottingham Forest, Olympiacos, and Rio Ave.
Edu has been instrumental in building this Arsenal squad, as the former Arsenal and Brazil midfielder has an extremely close working relationship with manager Mikel Arteta.
Edu statement on Arsenal departure
(from Arsenal.com)
“This was an incredibly hard decision to make.
“Arsenal has given me the opportunity to work with so many amazing people and the chance to be a part of something so special in the club’s history. It has been a special journey and I thank Stan, Josh, Tim and Lord Harris for the support they’ve given me.
“I’ve loved working with so many great colleagues across our men’s, women’s and academy teams, especially Mikel, who has become a great friend.
“Now it is time to pursue a different challenge. Arsenal will always remain in my heart. I wish the club and its supporters only good things and all the very best.”
Arsenal co-chair Josh Kroenke on Edu exit
“We respect Edu’s decision and thank him for his immense contribution and dedication to drive the club forward.
“Everyone at the club wishes him well. We are all so fond of him and the positive energy he brings to everything and everyone.
“Change and evolution is a part of our club. We remain focused on our strategy and winning major trophies. Our succession plan will reflect this continued ambition.”
What does Edu leaving mean for Arsenal and Arteta?
Firstly, this is a shock. Edu is the figurehead at Arsenal on a matchday and behind-the-scenes at the club throughout the week. He is always seen smiling behind-the-scenes, visiting the players’ lounge and spending time with the ownership group and Josh Kroenke in particular. Edu provides a vital link between the boardroom and the management and playing staff.
Arteta deserves plenty of credit for turning things around at Arsenal over the last four years but Edu has been right alongside him the whole way. Edu’s main job when he arrived was to move on plenty of older players on huge contracts who didn’t align with Arteta’s plans and he did that very successfully.
But perhaps some misses in the transfer market have caused problems between Edu and the hierarchy? Arsenal have spent a lot of money in recent years but have all of their buys been successful? A lot of them have. David Raya, Declan Rice, Ben White, Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz to name a few.
The jury is still out on Gabriel Jesus and Zinchenko, while the deals to bring in Raheem Sterling and Mikel Merino this summer were fine but were they what Arsenal needed after getting so close to Man City over the past two seasons?
What next for Arsenal?
Whoever comes in next will have to forge an extremely close relationship with Arteta because he and Edu were totally aligned in their vision for the club, the type of players they wanted to recruit and it all seemed to be working very well. Until now.
The report states that this is a case of Edu wanting to move on rather than being pushed out, although it did suggest some “reshuffling in responsibilities among the Arsenal hierarchy in key positions” which will be interest to those applying to fill Edu’s role.
Is this just a case of Edu wanting a fresh challenge as he felt like he’d taken Arsenal as far as he could? And with Arsenal suffering a dip at the start of this season, one which could be sustained if injuries and a lack of sharpness continue, maybe Edu is leaving when his stock is still at its highest?
Whatever the reason for Edu deciding to depart, whoever replaces him as an almighty challenge to replicate his impact and success. Most importantly, they need to forge a close relationship with Arteta and it would not be surprising if Arsenal’s manager has a big say in whoever is hired to replace Edu.
