Edu Gaspar out at Arsenal: Sporting director who helped lead Gunners' rebuild makes surprise departure

Edu Gaspar has resigned a Arsenal's sporting director.

The 46-year-old initially arrived as the Gunners' technical director in the summer of 2019 and was instrumental in the hiring of Mikel Arteta as head coach later that year. A member of Arsenal's legendary Invincibles team, Edu is in line for a position at the network of clubs that includes Nottingham Forest, owned by Greek businessman Evangelos Marinakis. Should he take that role it is expected he would receive a sizable increase on his salary at the Emirates Stadium.

"This was an incredibly hard decision to make," said Edu. "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.

"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."

No exit date has been confirmed for Edu, who as a permanent member of staff could be required to serve a notice period or be placed on gardening leave. His exit comes at a significant moment for the club, now established as contenders for the Premier League and Champions League under Arteta. Edu had previously worked as general co-ordinator of the Brazil national team and in a senior role at Corinthians, the club where he began his professional career.

His departure is a matter of some surprise to sources with knowledge of his situation. Edu had been coveted by rival clubs for several years but had rebuffed past interest, most notably when Paris Saint-Germain came knocking in 2022. He is settled in London and took great pride in the progress that Arsenal had made in his five years with them. It had been thought that he would remain in his position for at least another 12 months following the departure of chief executive Vinai Venkatesham in the summer.

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A triumvirate that included Arteta had built a strong bond in the rebuild of Arsenal. All three were either entirely new to or relatively inexperienced in the positions they occupied and found an alchemy to their working. It will be a challenge to try to create that again with two of the three gone in a short space of time. Any new sporting director will have to mesh with Arteta.

Owner Stan Kroenke will be conscious of how that turmoil that followed the departures of Arsene Wenger and Ivan Gazidis in 2018 was reflected on the pitch in the months that followed. Arsenal do, however, find themselves in an altogether better footballing position now than then, partly down to Edu.

"We respect Edu's decision and thank him for his immense contribution and dedication to drive the club forward," said co-chair Josh Kroenke. "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."

Arteta, managing director Richard Garlick and executive vice-chair Tim Lewis are expected to assess candidates for the vacancy, though given the surprise with which this has taken Arsenal it may be some time before a successor is found. 

What are Arsenal losing in Edu?

Over his half decade at Arsenal, Edu left a significant mark. When he joined the club on their summer tour in 2019 -- earlier than his new employers had required or even hoped -- he found a club floored by its failure to make the Champions League with a wage bill well out of whack with the standard of performance. In his five years Arsenal were trimmed back, both on and off the pitch, into something leaner, now competing for the greatest prizes in football. No one could contend that Edu won't be leaving Arsenal better than he found them.

Perhaps the most radical move he took in managing the Arsenal squad came in the early years of Arteta's tenure. The vision was clear -- enough that the club hierarchy stood by the then-manager amid disastrous results in 2020 -- but many of the veterans were not able to put it into practice. Edu simply paid them to leave. Mesut Ozil, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Willian and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were among those whose contracts were terminated, not without cost to Arsenal when they weren't delivering as expected. Some of those mistakes were on Edu and Arteta. They were not afraid to address them swiftly.

That speaks to the growth Edu made in his time with the club. Utterly inexperienced in European Football's corridors of power early in his tenure, his recruitment was far from stellar at the outset. That changed in due course as did Edu. One source who worked alongside him spoke of how he "developed a steel to him" as time went on. 

"He's somebody who will represent the club in the right way, he's charming. But you know in a negotiation he will go toe to toe with anybody."

Such steeliness got big deals done for Arsenal. Much has been made of Arteta's sales pitches to the likes of Declan Rice, but behind the scenes Edu was the one tasked with completing the arduous club-to-club negotiations. Those who have worked with him have spoken of the Brazilian's ability to complete deals that leave everyone feeling like a winner. That would be a quality to serve him well if he finds himself running a multi-club organization.

This would appear to be where the best of the best are now heading. Jurgen Klopp will head up Red Bull's soccer department. Michael Edwards was lured back to Anfield as Fenway Sports Group's CEO of Football. Edu's work at Arsenal has propelled him into that echelon. Finding a comparable replacement will be a challenge almost as great