Arsenal could target departing Real Sociedad director as Edu's successor

An opportunity for Arsenal to snag one of Europe's most prized directors will arise in 2025 with Real Sociedad's director of football, Roberto Olabe, set to be on the market.

The Gunners are in need of a successor to Edu Gaspar after his resignation as the club's sporting director was made official last week. The Brazilian is now poised to take on an all-encompassing role for Evangelos Marinakis' multi-club empire, a position which reportedly comes with a hefty pay rise.

The Kroenkes have a proven track record of hiring exceptional hierarchial talent, and this is one hire they can ill-afford to get wrong given the role Edu played in Arsenal's rise under Mikel Arteta, with whom the Invincible boasted a strong relationship.

However, acquiring directors is unlike signing a player or hiring a manager. It's much more complex and the process is likely to be drawn out.

Arsenal could target departing Real Sociedad director as Edu's successor

Given the current vacancy within their hierarchy, Arsenal would've surely taken interest in the news coming out of Real Sociedad. In a surprising development, The Athletic have reported that Sociedad's director of football, Olabe, will depart San Sebastian at the end of the 2024/25 season.

Sociedad were supposedly made aware of Olabe's decision before the 2024 summer transfer window, one which involved the Gunners acquiring Mikel Merino from the Spanish club.

Olabe's contract with Sociedad expires in 2026, but he's taken the decision to step down early, and The Athletic suggest a number of Premier League clubs have been put on red alert. The director has earned a stellar reputation for his work at the Anoeta in recent years, with Olabe shining on the player development and trading front since returning to the club in 2018. Sociedad have profited greatly on the likes of Alexander Isak and Martin Odegaard under the director's watch, while Martin Zubimendi will be sold for a huge fee when the midfielder eventually decides to leave his hometown club.

Arsenal have negotiated with Sociedad on multiple occasions in recent transfer windows, and it was Olabe it brought Arteta to San Sebastian way back in 2004. There are ties which might suggest the director will be targeted by the Gunners next year, but Olabe also has links to Unai Emery at Aston Villa and members of Pep Guardiola's staff at Manchester City.

Crucially, Olabe reportedly speaks reasonable English and there are suggestions he'd be open to taking on a project overseas. He has to be regarded as a top candidate for Arsenal's vacant sporting director position.

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