Inside Edu's Arsenal exit as succession plan launched following surprise announcement

Arsenal have been left reeling by the news sporting director Edu is jumping ship to take on a new role at Nottingham Forest after helping to mastermind the club's revival with Mikel Arteta

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. Former Arsenal midfielder Edu rejoined the club he played for during the Invincibles era as a technical director in 2019 before being promoted to sporting director in 2022.

Edu, 46, was involved in the decisions which saw Arsenal sack Unai Emery, appoint Mikel Arteta and then champion big-money transfers such as Odegaard and Declan Rice. It would be wrong to suggest this has come as a total bolt out of the blue because Marinakis’s offer was first reported in the summer and those closest to Edu have felt it was coming.

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.

Arteta will face the media on Tuesday in the pre-match press conference at the San Siro where Arsenal play Inter 24 hours later. But there was no sense of panic within the club on Monday and it was relatively calm. 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.

Edu is well-liked at Arsenal, a hugely popular character whose history as a player meant that he was more than the average sporting director. Fans could relate to him and he has helped oversee a huge transformation within the club.

When Arsenal looked for a replacement for Emery, Arteta was on the shortlist but was by no means the racing certainty. They looked at other candidates first but once the hierarchy met with Arteta, there was only one winner.

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.

They have been very close and Edu has overseen some brilliant transfers. But the last two windows - January 2023 and last summer - have been quiet by comparison. A solid but unspectacular midfielder in Mikel Merino arrived for £32m and Riccardo Calafiori looks a brilliant player but there was a suspicion in Italy that his fee was £42m because he does have a history of injuries.

Arteta wanted a young striker to blend into the group. Benjamin Sesko was their target but RB Leipzig put the price up and the striker decided to stay for another year. They also wanted a winger and even held talks over Raphinha who wanted assurances over first-team appearances but ultimately wanted to stay at Barcelona. And the rest is now history.

Raheem Sterling was the emergency deadline day loan signing. Arsenal had to stay in line with Profit and Sustainability Rules but they also had to sell before they could buy. The owners have backed Arteta to the hilt but the suspicion was they wanted to rein in the spending a bit this time.

Very few former players become hugely successful sporting directors. Edu bucked the trend but his impending departure has divided fan reaction which seems harsh. The Marinakis offer is huge financially and may give him an elevated role whereas it would be difficult to imagine Edu being Arsenal chief executive.

Rich Garlick has more experience and attends Premier League meetings as managing director along with fellow director Tim Lewis. A bigger role and salary is likely to be the real reason for Edu’s departure than his toes being trodden on.

It is easy to forget that Edu was not first choice back in 2019. Transfer guru Monchi, now at Aston Villa, got as far as looking at London apartments before having second thoughts. Now the question is who comes next? Edu’s deputy Jason Ayto is hugely respected and could be an obvious choice.

But more importantly, they must work well with Arteta because Arsenal believe they have one of the best managers in world football and that is more important than any other role.

Join our new WhatsApp communityand receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.