Arsenal are short of a sporting director after the surprise departure of Edu Gaspar, although this could be their chance to evolve.
The departure of Edu Gaspar from the Arsenal project has taken many by surprise; even a chunk of the fanbase was left gasping at the idea of not having the Brazilian Invincible around. The sporting director’s position is up for grabs at London Colney, and this is a big task on the Gunners’ board to make the fitting appointment.
Edu has been tremendous for Arsenal and their current position in the football pyramid. The way he has brought the club out of the trenches and transformed them back into a powerhouse in English football and Europe shows the sort of work he has done during his time here.
Coming at the back of Raul Sanllehi’s ill-fated tenure, Edu Gaspar took the Spaniard’s fall from grace and brought about a drastic change in culture at the club. It is not a simple job considering where Arsenal were around the end of 2019, given the disgraced Spaniard’s off-the-book activities and the uncertainty surrounding the first-team squad and then manager Unai Emery.
Some argue that Edu decided to bring Mikel Arteta to the helm and give a rookie manager his big chance at a big club. It has taken a while for the club to come to terms with the new ways, as Edu had to make big decisions regarding some high-profile players right at the start of his tenure as a technical director.
Before exploring the rest briefly, the overall impression of the Brazilian is that of a prudent operator in the market and one who has brought Arsenal into the big game. His legacy will be defined not by how the club is right now but rather by how Arsenal builds from here.
Edu’s legacy at Arsenal
Edu Gaspar came from a position different from his role with the Brazilian national side, and he was a surprising addition to the Arsenal staff. He has grown from strength to strength over the years, and his promotion to being Sporting Director was the key to Arsenal’s success.
Being a technical director somewhat restricted his role only to the first team, although the Sporting Director title allowed him access to the leading group, academy, and even the women’s side. He has been directly responsible for all the successes and failures in equal measures for all those entities, but more so for Mikel Arteta’s first team.
He has been instrumental in changing the transfer policy to fit Arsenal’s current requirements. Edu was able to flex his powers for the first time in the summer of 20231, as that summer window saw the sporting director and Arteta work together on signings.
They signed six players, all under the age of 23, and while half were unsuccessful in the long run, the others defined a new era at the club. Martin Odegaard was part of that group and has since become one of Arteta’s key stars and club captain.
Speaking of club captains, Edu also had to deal with the big issue with former skipper Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to cancel his contract and move on. That was the period that defined what this Arsenal setup was all about, with Arteta truly defining his era at the club.
Since then, he has helped transform Arterta’s side into title challengers, and they are doing so regularly. His departure from the club will have mixed reviews, as many will tend to focus on the failures in the transfer window, although the reality is that he has got more things right than wrong.
However, his departure does leave Arsenal with a big hole to fill, although the club is equipped to manage that problem well. The building Edu has built needs the right tenants, and the club will look for someone who will have a similar relationship and understanding with Arteta as the Brazilian’s successor.
Why did Edu Gaspar leave Arsenal?
While some may see this news of Edu’s departure as a shocking development in the Arsenal project, the links were there in the summer. Nottingham Forest were linked with a move for Edu, although this is not a role that is directly involved with the club, albeit more for all the club owned by their owner Evangelos Marinakis.
Marinakis has offered Edu a glorious role, something like CEO of their footballing business, which Michael Edwards took up with Liverpool and FSG. This is the new era of football and the multi-club model that many owners are adopting.
Edu will have the power to build the clubs within Marinakis’s portfolio, which includes Nottingham Forest, which will be the centre of this project. At this stage, many are wondering whether this role with the Forest ownership is better than his role at Arsenal, and on paper, it certainly is.
Edu will be given more responsibility and, with that, better financial remuneration with Marinakis’s group. He might think this is the best move for his career, as at Arsenal, he might have reached his peak. It could also be the right time to depart the Gunners and take up on his new adventure.
What next for Arsenal?
Surely, the news of Edu’s departure will not have come as a surprise to the Arsenal hierarchy, who must have been aware of the links to Nottingham Forest since the summer. They will surely have a plan in place to find a suitable replacement.
There is still some unclarity as to whether Edu’s departure is a result of a power struggle or whether it is his ambition that drove him towards Marinakis’s offer. Either way, there is no disharmony within the Arsenal ranks as things stand, and they are in a good enough position to plan Edu’s succession.
It is believed that Arsenal also made a counter offer for Edu to stay, but it appears the Brazilian rejected it to focus on his next project. While many have projected in the aftermath of his departure that Arsenal should rush to get a replacement, in truth, there’s plenty of time to do that.
As seen in the last few years, the January transfer window is not as crucial for most prominent clubs, and Arsenal might still be active but at a lower capacity. Hence, the Gunners board should take their time in appointing the right man to replace the Brazilian, as this is a critical decision that will define how they build on Edu’s work going ahead.