Why Edu Gaspar is leaving sporting director role at Arsenal

It was news no Arsenal supporter expected to wake up to on Monday morning, with multiple sources confirming the departure of Edu Gaspar as the club's sporting director.

The Athletic's David Ornstein is among those to validate the story, with details persistently emerging regarding the reasons why the Brazilian and former Gunner is leaving his post.

Edu, who spent four years in north London as a player, joined the club's hierarchy and was appointed Arsenal's first-ever technical director in 2020. He's credited for playing a huge role in the Gunners' rise under Mikel Arteta, with the director helping the novice coach oversee a drastic culture shift in N5.

He was credited for some savvy work in the transfer market which aided Arsenal's ascent under Arteta, but his work on that front has come under scrutiny in recent windows. It remains to be seen just how much their summer business will aid their pursuit of the Premier League title, while Edu also found it difficult throughout his tenure to sell assets at the right time.

Overall, the director's absence will serve as a notable blow to the club, but his exit doesn't point towards any signs of off-field dysfunction amid a tricky period for Arteta's side on the pitch.

Why Edu Gaspar is leaving sporting director role at Arsenal

Edu was bullish over the appointment of Arteta in 2020, with his impressive work as technical director seeing him change titles and become sporting director in 2022. However, the Brazilian is said to harbour even grander ambitions for his post-playing career which is believed to have played a big role in his exit.

Edu is poised to leave his post at Arsenal in favour of teaming up with infamous Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis and his network of clubs. Marinakis also owns the likes of Marseille, Olympiacos, and Rio Ave, and we could see Edu take on an all-encompassing role on the recruitment front within that framework.

An agreement is in place for Edu to take on the fresh challenge under Marinakis, but his exact role has not yet been ironed out. However, there are reports that the Greek businessman would be willing to triple Edu's salary and hand him more power than what he could've ever been afforded at Arsenal. According to the Independent, the 46-year-old wished to work his way up into a CEO-type of role in north London, but that was a position the Gunners weren't yet willing to bestow upon their sporting director.

You're bound to see speculation over more nefarious factors at play in Edu's imminent exit, but the Brazilian's decision to move on doesn't point towards instability or internal strife. Edu is an ambitious man who wanted more, and Marinakis is willing to hand him the power Arsenal currently weren't.

We can run the rule over all of his transfer dealings as much as we want, but no amount of revisionism should detract from the work Edu's done in his directorial roles. He's been a significant spoke in the Mikel Arteta wheel, and his exit will hurt the Spanish coach.

It's paramount the club nail the appointment of his successor.

READ THE LATEST ARSENAL NEWS HERE!