MX23RW : Tuesday, November 5 02:01:53| >> :120:27619:27619:

Mikel Arteta suffers enormous Arsenal blow as award-winning director 'to leave club'

Goodbye to an ally: Award-winning Arsenal chief 'to leave club' in huge Arteta blow
© Imago
Arsenal sporting director Edu is reportedly set to leave the club in another huge blow to Mikel Arteta amid the Gunners' current off-field struggles.

Arsenal sporting director Edu is reportedly set to leave the club after almost five-and-a-half years in the Emirates offices.

The former Gunners midfielder - a member of the 2003-04 Invincibles squad - rejoined the North London giants as their technical director in July 2019, a few months before Mikel Arteta took over as head coach.

Edu was promoted to the role of sporting director after three years in the job - becoming the first Arsenal man to hold such a position - and the ex-Brazil international has since played a fundamental role in the Gunners' transformation from a mid-table side to Premier League title challengers.

The 46-year-old - named the Best European Director at the 2023 Golden Boy awards - has been one of the driving forces of big-money deals for the likes of Declan Rice and Kai Havertz, as well as securing the futures of several young stars with long-term contract renewals.

Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Magalhaes, Ben White and William Saliba have all had their terms extended since Edu became sporting director, while Arteta also penned a renewal of his own earlier this season.

Arteta to leave Arsenal following 'talks' with club hierarchy

Arsenal sporting director Edu pictured on January 15, 2024© Imago

However, the Daily Mail now reports that Edu is surprisingly set to call time on his Arsenal career at an unspecified date following conversations with the Emirates board.

It is unclear why the Brazilian has now taken the decision to leave the North London giants, although the report claims that there could have been a rejig in responsibilities among the powers-that-be.

Rumours of an internal power struggle are said to be 'too simplistic', but a separate report from Sky Sports News claims that Edu's decision to depart the Emirates has taken the club by surprise.

The erstwhile midfielder - who has been back home in Brazil over the past week for personal matters - is believed to be a candidate for a position within Evangelos Marinakis's conglomerate of clubs.

The Greek tycoon currently owns Nottingham Forest, Rio Ave and Olympiacos, although it is not known whether that is a factor in Edu's decision to leave Arsenal after five years.

How big a blow will losing Edu be?

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta pictured on November 2, 2024© Imago

News that surely no Arsenal supporter wanted to wake up to on a Monday morning, Edu was initially seen as a figure of frustration in North London, particularly in the 2021-22 season when Arsenal failed to replace Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in January.

However, the South American's expertise of both the club and the transfer market has helped elevate the Gunners to new heights, not to mention his unrivalled ability to broker new contracts for Arsenal's established stars.

At a time when Arsenal are going through a rough patch on the field - only taking one point from their last three Premier League games - Edu's departure, whenever it may be, will be an enormous blow for Arteta at a tough moment.

The Spaniard has developed an extremely close relationship with his colleague ever since taking over in 2019, when he was memorably seen in the stands with Edu at Goodison Park when Freddie Ljungberg's Arsenal drew with Everton.

The situation is somewhat similar to the bitter 2007 departure of former vice chairman David Dein - one of Arsene Wenger's closest allies and a masterful transfer fixer - but whether Edu's exit was amicable or acrimonious is still unknown.

ID:557296:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect6717:

Click here for more stories about Declan Rice

Click here for more stories about Arsenal

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Arsenal's Gabriel Magalhaes pictured on October 27, 2024
Read Next:
'Never good enough for the title' - Arsenal to act in January after Gabriel injury?
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
1.15am
Buccaneers
@
Chiefs
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!