Arsenal sporting director Edu has decided to leave the club. The Brazilian leaves the Emirates after interest from the club network run by Evangelos Marinakis. This network ot clubs includes Nottingham Forest, Olympiakos and Rio Ave - there is an option to buy a fourth club from Europe in the future. It remains unclear at this stage whether Edu has agreed to start work there.
Sky Sports reports that Edu's decision has surprised Arsenal. The Gunners' sporting director was in his native Brazil for personal reasons and returned at the end of last week.
Edu, 46, who is a former Arsenal player, has a strong relationship with manager Mikel Arteta. It was this tandem that turned Arsenal back into a contender for the Premier League title. In September, when Arteta signed a new contract with the club, Edu outlined the Gunners' long-term ambitions, with no indication that he was considering a move away from Arsenal.
Edu joined the club in the role of technical director in the summer of 2019, before becoming the club's first sporting director in November 2022. The former Gunners midfielder was responsible for the arrivals of Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice, while also helping the departures of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mesut Ozil.
Since Edu has been at the club, Arsenal have spent £867m - only Chelsea and Manchester United have spent more in that period, with one FA Cup trophy in the window and finishing second in the Premiership in the past two seasons. | BGNES
