Edu Gaspar has resigned as Arsenal's sporting director(Image: Getty Images)

'Huge shoes to fill' - national media question Arsenal after Edu resignation

05 Nov 2024, 05:00 by Bruna Reis · football.london

Edu's resignation at Arsenal came as a shock to many when he announced his departure from the club after five years.

The Brazilian joined Arsenal in the summer of 2019 as a technical director before taking over as a sporting director, two years ago, overseeing a massive overhaul of the squad. Confirming his departure in a statement, he has agreed a deal in principle to take up a role with Nottingham Forest.

The statement read: "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."

The former midfielder's decision came as a shock to the but Arsenal co-owner Josh Kroenke later confirmed that he accepted the decision. "We respect Edu’s decision and thank him for his immense contribution and dedication to drive the club forward," Kroenke said. "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."

football.london has taken a look at what the national media have had to say on the news.

For the Telegraph, Jason Burton questions the timing of Edu's exit, writing: "The obvious question about Edu’s decision to leave Arsenal is not just why, but what does it mean for Mikel Arteta? After all, when the Arsenal manager signed his new deal in September there was a telling quote to accompany it on the club’s website.

"Mikel’s new contract gives us stability and clear direction as we aim for new heights," it read. The quote came from Edu. But now the Arsenal sporting director is going. Circumstances change but that quote was published less than eight weeks ago.

"So the obvious conclusion is something has happened in the last two months to make Edu want to leave now and that cannot equate to stability for the club. The argument will be that Arteta is the most important employee and that is reflected in the news, as Telegraph Sport has reported, that he will have a major say in who replaces Edu. That shows how highly Arsenal rate Arteta and are aware of the powerbase he has established. It means they have to involve him."

The Independent's Miguel Delaney wrote: "In terms of timing, the news that Edu is set to leave Arsenal couldn’t really have been worse for the club. They’re on this bad run, and it suddenly paints the picture of dysfunction behind the scenes that could further affect what happens on the pitch. The reality is that this news stems from discussions that have been going on from back when results were far better.

"The Evangelos Marinakis ownership group has wanted Edu for some time, and they have been willing to more than treble his wages and increase his power. The Brazilian is understood to have been on a salary of around £2m at Arsenal. From that perspective, it makes rather simple sense. There are still questions, not least over what it means for Arsenal, as well as the power dynamics at the club. The Marinakis ownership group is meanwhile clearly intent on expanding.

"Money isn’t the only reason for Edu's departure, even if such numbers sound as persuasive as you can get. The 2003-04 title winner is known to have wanted more influence, and there has even been internal talk about angling for the chief executive role at Arsenal. Arsenal have instead gone in another direction, and some of this is understood to be partly linked to changing dynamics within the club. As executive vice-chair, Tim Lewis, is the Kroenke ownership’s most influential figure, with the football department entirely revolving around Mikel Arteta."

John Cross of the Mirror, adds: "From the outside looking in, it looks like a perfect storm. Arsenal have suffered two defeats in a run of three games without a win in the Premier League and fallen seven points behind Liverpool in the title race. They have been missing their injured captain Martin Odegaard and now face a difficult trip to Inter Milan in the Champions League followed by an equally daunting clash at Chelsea on Sunday.

"Then, on top of a drop in results, their sporting director Edu is now set to leave to join Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis’s stable of clubs as soon as he can negotiate his exit from the Emirates. What is surprising is that it has come out from Edu’s side - together with excellent reporting - rather than the now usual club statement. That may have stung and added to the sense of shock. The news becoming public prompted a string of meetings at the club on Monday as they figured their next move and how to handle Edu’s departure.

"The Arsenal manager would certainly regard Edu as a close ally even though Arteta also has the ear of Josh Kroenke, son of owner Stan, and there is no chance of relationships being undermined or any fall-outs. That appointment has proved to be a masterstroke and Arteta remains the most important person at the club. When things were going badly in the winter of 2020, it was Edu who insisted on speaking publicly to voice the club’s support for Arteta."

The Guardian's Nick Ames and Will Unwin conclude : "Edu’s shock departure will bring to an end five years in Arsenal’s senior management and means Mikel Arteta will lose one of his major allies. The pair enjoy a strong relationship and Arsenal will need to recalibrate when the Brazilian moves on. The timescale of his departure remains unclear. There is no successor currently lined up for a role that had not existed at the club before Edu assumed the position in November 2022.

"Despite hits and misses early in his tenure, Edu has become regarded as integral to an aggressive, effective transfer policy that saw the likes of Martin Ødegaard, Ben White, Gabriel Magalhães, Gabriel Jesus and Declan Rice arrive to transform the profile of Arsenal’s squad. The club’s recruitment structure was overhauled and they moved on from the baggage carried by expensive, experienced names such as Mesut Özil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

"His bonds with key members of Arsenal’s hierarchy are understood to extend beyond the friendship with Arteta. Now Edu is being lined up to take a senior role in Marinakis’ group, potentially in a position involving oversight of the entire network. Poised for a new challenge working for the ambitious and controversial Marinakis, whose Forest team have been the season’s surprise package and currently sit third in the top flight .A timely reminder of the circus that tends to surround Marinakis arrived on Monday afternoon when the Football Association confirmed his appeal of a five-match stadium ban for spitting had been dismissed."

Writing in his football.london analysis piece, Kaya Kaynak remarked: "The departure of Edu Gaspar leaves Arsenal with some huge shoes to fill. Since his arrival as technical director in 2019, the Brazilian’s influence has grown and grown. This was formalised in him being named as Arsenal’s first ever sporting director in 2022.

"Edu is most prominently known for the work he does in recruiting for the men’s first team, but his fingerprints are over every aspect of the football club. He plays a big role in the women’s team and has been involved in the search for a successor to Jonas Eidevall. He works daily with Per Mertesacker in the academy and has had a huge role in allocating a budget for them to build for the future. The Brazilian has even had a say on Arsenal’s strategy at under-8 level!

"Staff at the club have also praised Edu for his clear communication style. He is also understood to have been a massive influence on morale, particularly during difficult periods. His absence will be felt keenly. The person who will miss him most though, is Mikel Arteta. Arteta has joked that he speaks to Edu more than his wife, and the pair are understood to have enjoyed a positive working relationship. They will speak each day, not just about transfers and squad planning, but about personal and family matters too."