Eduardo César Daud Gaspar, known to most (except his granny, probably) as Edu, resigned as Arsenal’s sporting director in early November 2024. The Brazilian, who played for Arsenal, Valencia and Corinthians, had joined Arsenal in July 2019, initially as technical director, before shifting to the role of sporting director in November 2022.
Although it’s not immediately obvious to fans what such a role entails or how it affects the team or its performances on the pitch, there is widespread belief that Edu’s departure will leave a gaping hole in the club’s hierarchy. But will Edu really be missed, or will the Gunners simply replace him with someone equally – or more – capable?
What Does a Sporting Director Do?
Club Statement: Edu Gaspar
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) November 4, 2024
Sporting directors come in various guises at football clubs and they are also given various titles, such as technical director or director of football. They often go under the radar, at least from the point of view of fans, but there have been plenty of highly influential directors of football who have broken through to the public consciousness over the years.
Txiki Begiristain
Txiki Begiristain, for instance, arrived at Manchester City in 2012 and helped mastermind the club’s stranglehold on the Premier League. He was also the man who was behind Pep Guardiola’s appointment as the head coach of Barcelona. Indeed, Pep rates him so highly that he’s reported to have said of him, “without him, I would not be here.”
Michael Zorc
Michael Zorc is another well-respected figure after his many years as sporting director at Borussia Dortmund, while Dan Ashworth worked to great effect as the sporting director of Brighton and Hove Albion before moving to Newcastle United and then Manchester United.
Transfer Strategy
The specific roles undertaken by sporting directors will depend on the goals of the club employing them. Generally speaking, a sporting director or director of football will take care of many of the aspects that used to fall under the remit of a manager, namely transfer strategy, and the nuts and bolts of negotiating specific transfers once targets are identified. They can often act as the bridge between the coaching staff and the club’s board and often have a good understanding of both the playing and business sides of football. But let’s get back to Edu.
Why Did Edu Resign?
Edu resigned as he’s reportedly been offered the role of Group CEO of the sporting businesses owned by Greek businessman, Evangelos Marinakis, who owns Nottingham Forest, Olympiacos and Portuguese side, Rio Ave. Some might ask why Edu would want to leave a massive club like Arsenal for relative minnows Forest. But perhaps he just wanted a new challenge… or maybe, just maybe it’s the fact that his wages are reportedly going to triple!
When explaining his decision to the Arsenal website, Edu said, “This was an incredibly hard decision to make. Arsenal has given me the opportunity to work with so many amazing people and the chance to be a part of something so special in the club’s history.” He went on, “Now it is time to pursue a different challenge. Arsenal will always remain in my heart. I wish the club and its supporters only good things and all the very best.”
There are suggestions that Marinakis may have grand plans to expand his footballing empire. And with Nottingham Forest overperforming at present and the prospect of more clubs being added to the mix, the attraction to Edu is quite apparent. There were also some reports that Arsenal’s inability to follow Edu’s advice to sign a top striker in the summer could be partly behind his decision to leave. There were also apparently some bad feelings about the last-minute swoop for Raheem Sterling from Chelsea.
How Will Arsenal Replace Edu & How Will It Affect Them?
Who is Jason Ayto? Arsenal behind-the-scenes chief set to fill in for Edu after shock resignation #AFC https://t.co/SCfbt0lEey
— Arsenal FC News (@ArsenalFC_fl) November 6, 2024
In the short term, Arsenal have promoted Jason Ayto from his previous role as assistant sporting director. The club are likely to take their time to find a more permanent replacement, however, as they see the role as crucial to their development as they attempt to challenge for the Premier League and the Champions League on a more consistent basis.
In the meantime, there have already been questions raised about various transfer targets the club reportedly had in their sights. But although it is likely to cause some medium-term disruption, there’s little doubt that the role will attract plenty of interest from a range of top candidates. Despite not winning the Premier League title since 2003/04 and never having won the Champions League (or its predecessor the European Cup), Arsenal are still regarded as a massive club. They are also respected as one that is well-run and treats its employees well. As such, we anticipate a new sporting director will not be all that difficult to find.
Arsenal Lagging Behind
The more pressing matter, of course, might be matters on the pitch as the Gunners have stalled a bit in recent weeks. That is something that is rarely rectified by a sporting director anyway, but there’s a chance that Edu’s departure will knock the morale of certain players, just at the time Mikel Arteta needs everyone to pull together and put a positive run of results on the board. At the time of writing Arsenal are not even in the Champions League places and are sitting in fifth place behind Liverpool, Man City, Chelsea… and Nottingham Forest: the club Edu’s set to join!
The Gunners have suffered successive 1-0 defeats to Newcastle in the league and Inter Milan in the Champions League, and they lost away to Bournemouth in October. If Arsenal can turn their results around quickly, it’s possible Edu’s departure won’t cause too many problems. But if not, it’s possible that the Brazilian’s decision to leave might cause further discord at the club who have repeatedly failed to live up to their promise in recent times. And if that’s the case, could the board even think about a personnel change where it certainly would matter: in the dugout?