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Before Arsenal flew Milan There was an emotional farewell time on the training ground during their match against Inter last night. On his last day as the club’s first sporting director, players and staff gathered to bid farewell to Edu.

The departure of the old for the fansInvincible‘ came out of left field. But for those at the top of the Arsenal hierarchy, Edu’s decision came as little surprise.

His reputation in football grew significantly during his five years at Arsenal. This isn’t the first time he’s received attention from other places looking to reward him. With manager Mikel Arteta’s future secured, the club knew they had to move on to Edu next. Until recently, they didn’t realize how challenging this would be.

Arsenal were aware of Edu’s desire to work in a role of genuine international scope and had held discussions about his future in the weeks before news of his departure – but there was always hope that he would stay.

This came as a shock to the players and the wider staff, including several members of Edu’s recruitment team. Many first heard about Edu’s departure through the media.

The 46-year-old had taken a two-week leave to attend to a personal matter at home in Brazil. Rumors spread among the staff as his absence continued, but he reappeared in Arsenal’s away match. Newcastle United A return to normal service was assumed last Saturday.

Not so.

Just over 48 hours later Arsenal were drafting an internal email informing staff that Edu was moving on. Shortly after, they issued a press release announcing his resignation. “This was an incredibly difficult decision,” the Brazilian said. “It’s time to pursue a different challenge. Arsenal will always remain in my heart. “I wish only good things for our club and its fans.”

Edu will now have a six-month notice period, effectively being on gardening leave. Taking on a role by working with the club group controlled by Evangelos Marinakis — Nottingham Forest inside Premier LeagueGreek Olympiakos and Portugal‘s Rio Ave – and maybe even help expand this barn. The agreement has not yet been fully concluded, but there is an expectation from all parties that an agreement will be reached.

Arsenal must look to the future and begin the recruitment process to replace him. “Change and evolution are part of our club,” said co-president Josh Kroenke. “We continue to focus on our strategy and winning big trophies. “Our succession plan will reflect this ongoing ambition.”

The club is committed to hiring a new sporting director to work alongside Arteta, but the full scope of that role has yet to be determined. When Edu was promoted from technical director to sporting director She took charge of Arsenal’s women’s team and academy in November 2022. The club is now considering returning to the old structure and the new sports director is focusing primarily on the men’s A team.

Edu (right) was a prominent figure alongside Tim Lewis (left) when Arteta’s new deal was announced in September (Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

Although Edu’s departure seems sudden, Marinakis has been courting him for some time. The two men are good friends. They cooperated on transfers, including agreements made. Matt Turner and Nuno Tavares leaves Arsenal for Forest in 2023. While Arsenal are planning to sell players this summer, high-level talks have been held with Forest. Eddie Nketiah And Aaron Ramsdale.

Edu returned to Europe ahead of the main travel party of Arsenal’s summer US tour and was a guest at Marinakis’ birthday party. When the owner of Olympiacos hosted a celebratory dinner before playing (and winning) last season’s game European Conference League finalEdu was also one of the guests – so were their mutual friends and manager Kia Joorabchian.

Forest have been without a chief executive since Dane Murphy’s departure almost two years ago.

Marinakis is looking for someone with a broader remit – a CEO figure with a football background, international reputation and business acumen – to lead his growing network. This type of role has been interesting for Edu for a long time. Before becoming a sports director, he was a businessman: his first venture at the end of his playing career was a flooring company in Brazil.

Edu has settled in London and his international role will allow him to still live there. The new position may offer other lifestyle benefits, too: less direct involvement in day-to-day details, more remote supervision, and delegated responsibility. He can also expect a significant wage increase. Typically, sporting directors earn significantly less than their managerial counterparts. The scale of Edu’s new job will see his salary brought in line with the amounts earned by the Premier League’s top managers/coaches.

After these five years at Arsenal, where he was named the best European manager at the 2023 Golden Boy awards, Edu may have felt that his stock was high and now was the time to capitalize on the goodwill and reputation he had built. The timing could also be designed to ensure he is ready to take on his new role before the start of next year’s summer transfer window. As mentioned, Edu’s new role has not yet been finalised, but unofficial discussions about potential transfer plans have already taken place.

Sources familiar with Arsenal and Forest, who wished to remain anonymous to protect relations, issued a warning: Edu is leaving a stable environment for a much more chaotic one. Your diplomatic skills are likely to be tested.

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Frustrated by some of the limitations of his role at Arsenal, Edu is expected to have greater signing authority at Forest, partly due to his close relationship with the owner. Those who know him believe he is seeking more autonomy. There is now significant oversight and due process at Arsenal on all transfer-related matters. However, having to obtain the approval of the board of directors for transfer activity may mean that some agreements will be extended. Edu agrees move for Bologna defender Riccardo Calafioribut the Arsenal board were only prepared to approve this if a major sale would balance the books. After all it’s just a club pushed forward In Calafiori in July real Madrid emerged as a potential rival bidder.

Edu and Arteta have always had an excellent personal relationship, but in recent times Arsenal’s coaching staff have had an increasing influence on first-team recruitment. This came to a head late this summer when the club found itself in the middle of a complex deal. Joan Garciaa goalkeeper Espanyol in spain La Liga. In the final 48 hours of the break, an exasperated Edu was forced to remove Arsenal from these negotiations and return to signing BournemouthNeto was hired.

Arteta and Edu have driven Arsenal’s progress over the last five years (Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

In the role offered by Mariankis for his group, Edu will have regular and direct contact with the company owner. He would have more authority.

Arsenal feel they are well equipped to deal with his departure, but the timing is not ideal. Their revival in recent years was based on a team of like-minded individuals working in harmony. In the summer, managing director Vinai Venkatesham stood aside and was replaced by Richard Garlick, taking up a new role as managing director. It is challenging for the leadership team to lose a CEO and sporting director within a few months.

It also comes in the middle of the season, two months before the start of the transfer window.

Next week, Arsenal’s football leadership team, led by Arteta, Garlick and vice-chairman Tim Lewis, will meet owners Kroenkes to outline squad-building plans for 2025. Edu could be an important part of these discussions. Jason Ayto is likely to represent the recruiting department instead. Ayto started as a video analyst at Arsenal and worked his way up to becoming Edu’s right-hand man. Last year, a reshaping of the recruitment team led to Ayto being appointed assistant sporting director and James Ellis becoming chief recruiter.

This recruiting department is part of the legacy Edu leaves behind. One of his first major decisions was to overhaul the previous observation network and form a new team to his specifications. This core team remains in place.

Following Garlick’s departure as director of football operations, Ayto played a key role in the last transfer window by supporting Edu in negotiations. He speaks Portuguese fluently and is well-respected in European football circles. He will continue in his role on an interim basis while Arsenal search for a new sporting director. Ayto already has some involvement. The club’s search for a new women’s team managerShe is assistant to women’s football director Clare Wheatley.

Ayto will be With support from James KingHe joined from the Professional Footballers’ Association to replace Garlick as director of football operations. King will begin his duties on Monday.

The first task of Arsenal’s football leadership team with Kroenkes will be to determine what kind of sporting director they would like to replace Edu with. Do they want a manager or someone with a technical background?

It may come as a surprise to some that Arteta has played a role in these discussions: traditionally, the sporting director sits above the manager in a club’s hierarchy. However, Arsenal intend for the roles to operate at the same level. The relationship between the manager and the sporting director is critical. Edu and Arteta’s professional chemistry has been excellent and Arsenal will seek Arteta’s input to find a similarly positive working relationship. For Arteta, they will hire a partner, not a boss.

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As Edu’s six-month notice period indicates, this process may take some time.

Sporting directors rarely have the opportunity to move freely between clubs throughout the season. There is little consistency across Europe in how these experts are hired: some work on fixed-term contracts, others are permanent employees. It may take a long time or be expensive to remove the person they decide is the right person.

But Kroenkes’ recent track record of hiring executive-level talent is good. They have significant experience in global sports franchises. They were the ones who brought Edu back to the club and will be sure to find a suitable replacement. A previous connection with Arsenal is not a requirement and the club is prepared to search for the right candidate at home and abroad.

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Arsenal are grateful for the work Edu has done; It helped transform the club but the reality is that when you have a successful squad they will attract interest from elsewhere.

Arteta will feel the loss of Edu; They had daily chats at the club’s London Colney training ground and he was a valuable sounding board and confidant.

However, the Spaniard is generally focused on looking ahead.

“The vision starting from the owners is very clear and very ambitious. It will continue,” Arteta said in Milan this week. “We have a strong leadership team with incredible knowledge, real passion and great feelings for our football club and we will not stop where we are.

“The excitement, passion and understanding across the club of where we want to take this journey remains intact. “This also means opportunities for someone else to come in and fulfill their role.

“We continue. We thank you and we must move on because this is the reality of our industry.”

Other contributors: Daniel Taylor and Mario Cortegana

(Top photos: Getty Images; design: Kelsea Petersen)