Report: Arsenal sporting director set for shock exit

Arsenal sporting director Edu, who has played a key role in the club's recent transfer dealings, is to leave the club in the near future, according to reports.

The Brazilian has been with Arsenal since 2019 and stepped into his current role in 2022, working closely with manager Mikel Arteta to snap up the Spaniard's preferred transfer targets and oversee the departures of unwanted players.

He is widely credited with playing an integral role in Arsenal’s resurgence into regular title contenders, but Mail Sport report that the 46-year-old has decided to walk away from his position.

The reason for his departure is unclear, as is the time frame for his exit, but it is stressed that it is Edu who has made the decision to leave the Emirates Stadium, rather than Arsenal cutting ties.

There is understood to have been a boardroom reshuffle at Arsenal which may have altered Edu’s responsibilities, although the idea of a power struggle is described as “too simplistic”.

Edu spent three years as a player at Arsenal under Arsene Wenger and established himself as a fan-favourite upon his return, earning plenty of praise for his ruthless approach to supporting Arteta in their shared pursuit of success.

Since he became sporting director in November 2022, Arsenal have snapped up the likes of Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and David Raya, while he was also crucial during his previous post as technical director.

Edu helped handle Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s departure from the club in January 2022 - a saga which was well-publicised in Arsenal’s All or Nothing docu-series - while David Luiz, Willian and Mesut Ozil are among those to have been offloaded as part of Arsenal’s rebuild.

READ THE LATEST ARSENAL NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP