After a miserable weekend for the Gunners faithful, in which Arsenal lost 1-0 to Newcastle and fell seven points behind Liverpool in the Premier League title race, the last thing Arsenal fans would have wanted to wake up to on Monday morning was the news that Sporting Director Edú Gaspar was leaving the club.
However, reports emerged early on Monday of exactly that, as several media outlets revealed that the Arsenal sporting director, who joined the club in 2019, Edu, had taken the decision to leave the club.
The Brazilian’s exit comes amid interest in him for a role with Evangelos Marinakis’ group of clubs, which currently include Nottingham Forest, Olympiacos and Rio Ave, although it is unclear whether Edu has agreed to join that group as of yet.
It’s been widely reported that Edu’s decision has taken Arsenal by surprise, with the sporting director having recently been away in Brazil on personal matters, only arriving back late last week.
Edu joined Arsenal as technical director in July 2019 before becoming the club’s first-ever sporting director in November 2022, and the Brazilian has played a crucial role in rebuilding Arsenal, taking the Gunners from one of the most chaotic clubs in European football to one of the most stable.
The 46-year-old shares a strong bond with Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, and has been a key part of the Gunners recruitment process in recent years.
The news will come as a huge blow to the club. From a team who missed out on last season’s title by just two points, and looked one of the most stable clubs in Europe, suddenly, things could be creeping back into chaos at the Emirates.