Arsenal announced, this Monday (4), that Edu Gaspar has left his position as the club’s sporting director, after being one of those responsible for the restructuring of the ‘Gunners’, runners-up in England for the last two seasons.
“We thank Edu for the role he played in renewing our football strategy and for moving the club forward with Arsenal’s values at heart,” the club wrote in a statement.
According to the Sky Sports channel, Edu had agreed to work for Evangelos Marinaki, a Greek businessman who owns Nottingham Forest, in England, and Olympiakos, in Greece.
Leaving Arsenal was “an incredibly difficult decision to make”, but “the time has come to face a new challenge”, said the 46-year-old.
Edu was an Arsenal player between 2001 and 2005, having played 127 games under Arsène Wenger. The Brazilian was part of the team that won the Premier League undefeated in the 2003/2004 season.
After hanging up his boots in 2011, he returned to the English club as technical director and was promoted to the position of sporting director in 2022.
Edu was one of those responsible for the sporting development of Arsenal’s men’s and women’s teams, as well as the Gunners’ youth teams. To the general public, he was known for his role in the club’s signing policy, mainly participating in the arrivals of Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice.
Arsenal’s board was surprised by his departure, according to the British press.
“We respect Edu’s decision and thank him for his immense contribution and dedication to moving the club forward,” said Josh Kroenke, co-president of the Gunners.
“We are focused on our strategy and winning big titles,” concluded Kroenke.
