Edu Gaspar’s upcoming departure from Arsenal marks the end of an impactful tenure for the club. Since taking on the role of technical director in 2019, Edu has played a central role in shaping the team’s current identity. His contributions have been transformative, both in building a competitive squad and by bringing Mikel Arteta back to the club as manager, a move that has proven instrumental in Arsenal’s recent successes.
Edu was the architect behind many key signings that have elevated the club, such as Martin Odegaard, who became captain and one of the team’s top creative talents, and Declan Rice, a record transfer fee addition who has quickly established himself as a cornerstone of the squad. His influence has helped Arsenal return to the upper echelons of the Premier League and compete strongly in European competitions. The vision and balance he brought to Arsenal’s recruitment, particularly his focus on acquiring young, high-potential players like Gabriel Martinelli and Ben White, have reinforced the club’s long-term growth strategy.
Edu’s decision to leave has reportedly taken many fans by surprise, especially given the timing and the club’s strong upward trajectory. According to The Independent, he is set to join Evangelos Marinakis’ group of clubs, where he will reportedly earn three times his current salary. While it’s unclear if financial considerations were a primary motivation, the offer certainly represents a significant step up. This move to a broader role within the Marinakis network will place Edu in a position of influence across multiple clubs, allowing him to bring his expertise to a larger stage.
For Arsenal, Edu’s departure presents a challenge, but it’s also an opportunity to bring in new perspectives. The club will now focus on finding a successor who can build on Edu’s achievements and continue the work of developing Arsenal’s project under Arteta. Edu’s legacy at Arsenal is one of revival and progress, and his contributions will undoubtedly be remembered as pivotal in the club’s recent resurgence.
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More money is almost always a welcome development not to be frowned at. Congratulations to him on that.
#but
if it has to do with failing to get feared attackers . . .
Congratulations to the recruiters.
Yes of course.
They always use the excuse of “New Challenge “. Harry Kane said the same thing lol
Anyway, I wish Edu all the best 👍
No. The amount is peanuts in context of club spend. If they wanted to keep him, and everything was amicable, they would have matched it.
Not true. Gabriel Martinelli was not bought by Edu. Long scouted and secured by Wenger’s South American rep Cagigao not Edu. Edu bought chaff. Luiz, Pablo Mari, Willian, Cedric, Runarson, Marquinos, Viera etc. Let go many players for free. Gave away Auba and Ozil for free, Barca later sold Auba for 12m.
He bought expensively from his friends Mendes and Joorabchan. Remember he used to holiday with Sanhelli and Joorabchan who are known to be shady.
Edu is nothing special, made a lot of underhand dealings.
Good riddance.
Edu is an average SD only interested in self promotion, always in the press.
Howard, which expensive players did Edu buy from Mendes and Joorabchain ? Underhand deals, which were they ?
Please tell me which clubs were willing to pay us for Ozil and PEA ?
I’d hardly call the like of White, Partey, Timber, Ramsdale, Gabriel, Trossard, Rice, Raya and Odegaard “chaff”.
It looks as though he’ll have an executive role with Marinakis, so triple wages seem fair for the role.
In the big spectrum of football they could be a few good persons that can do a better job than what Edu did. This change do not alter the actual situation ,so the future could still be better.
According to The Daily Mail who apparently broke the story on Monday (excerpt from the BBC website):
‘Arsenal fought to prevent sporting director Edu from leaving the club, but the Brazilian is determined to take his first steps into the world of multi-club football.
Indications that Forest have offered to treble Edu’s Arsenal salary, which is believed to be £2-3million per year, are believed to be exaggerated.
The Gunners’ made a counteroffer believed to be comparable with the deal made by Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis, but Edu is attracted to taking a global position overseeing numerous clubs …’.
So, if true, it’s not the money it’s nature of the new job. Only the people directly involved can confirm it one way or the other. At least reports that his departure was the result of some sort of major row over future policy look less likely, which is good (for Arteta, if nobody else).
He must have had a clause in his contract that has allowed this move without any form of penalty. I was thinking of the shenanigans between Utd and Newcastle
I wonder what our transfer windows will be like now he’s gone. On the whole, I appreciate the job he’s done but I do feel he could have done more in the last window there seemed to be something off about that window maybe because in previous ones we acted a bit swifter or perhaps the financial rules slowed us down I don’t know
Yes, I think there were/are questions about the last window. For transfers in, the two achieved seemed to take up all of Arsenal’s time over the ten weeks. Sterling’s (very) last-minute loan appeared to confirm that. It looked rather odd as other clubs appeared to be able to handle several negotiations simultaneously.
The choice of Edu’s replacement will be key. The statement from Arsenal suggested that the succession planning was in place, so we’ll see. If someone (hopefully of the necessary experience for this important job, not just an Arsenal “old boy” who is available) is appointed quickly then that will be the case. If there’s a delay – and the winter window is not that far away – then it could cause problems if there’s any business to be done in January.