Arsenal icon ‘shocked’ by Edu’s departure as Arteta faces new ‘challenge’ amid poor form

Martin Keown says Edu Gaspar’s reported decision to leave Arsenal was a “shock”.

It was reported on Monday morning that Edu will step down from his role as the club’s football directorin a ‘big blow’ for manager Mikel Arteta.

Former Arsenal midfielder Edu joined the club in 2019 as technical director before taking on the role of director of football in November 2022.

He helped the Gunners sign the likes of Martin Odegaard, Benjamin White and Declan Rice.

“Well, for me, I don’t know what could be better than playing in that role for Arsenal.” Keown said talkSPORT. “Maybe he wants to go back home to Brazil.”

Reports indicate that Edu will accept an offer from Evangelos Marinakis to join his club club as a top recruiter.

Marinakis owns Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest, Greek giants Olympiacos and Portuguese side Rio Ave.

Reflecting on Edu’s work at the Emirates, Keown said: ‘In the end it took him a while to get going, didn’t it, Edu? I mean, he needed some support from those above him.

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“I think the biggest change at Arsenal has been a greater investment of time and commitment from the Kroenke family. And I think this is reflected in the fact that Josh Kroenke is much more visible and much more involved at Arsenal after the challenges of the European Super League and Arsenal’s climb from that position.

“So I think if they have a good relationship, ultimately it’s nice to have a good relationship. But Arteta, is he losing a great ally? Does he need a great ally?

‘Does he already have a relationship with those who make the decisions? I would suspect so. That’s what I would ultimately suspect. Will it be an advantage? It depends on whether they bring in a better sports director.

“If they bring in a better sporting director, it will have a broader remit, who will have a better understanding of being able to recruit even better players than the ones Edu did… I’m not entirely sure that all of Edo’s signings will be the best were.” signings.

“So with that in mind, Arsenal are being challenged on the pitch at the moment and people are now experiencing it as a challenge off the pitch.”

Keown gets on well with Edu and says the news of his departure comes as a “shock”.

“He’s a really good man,” he continued. “This will be a loss for the club, there is no doubt about that. But there is already enormous stability with Tim Lewis on the board.

“Richard Garlick is now someone who really impresses me and of course the manager as well. But he has helped bring stability to the club, change, the culture has changed back to what we would have seen in the past. It will affect the players because he is on the training field every day. There is a working relationship.

“The players have a lot of respect for him. It would be hard not to like him. I think registrations have generally been good. The club started to change.

“The DNA of the signings has now become very physical, hasn’t it? Less technical. And the club is certainly on its way back. It’s a shock. But of course it can never be about one person.”

Keown added: “I imagine they’re getting the top guy in the class to come into this story now, if this is true.

“It’s a sad time to see him go, but I think he’s going with everyone’s blessing.”

Former Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman was live on talkSPORT when the news broke.

“That’s the first time I’ve heard that and I hope it’s not true,” Seaman said.

“I see Edu once a week when I go to Arsenal. He has a big influence at the club, he is someone you want to keep.

“He’s an ex-doubles-winning teammate of mine and he’s someone you want to keep, so I really hope it’s not true.”