Edu leaves Arsenal: Why & what next?

Edu has resigned as Arsenal’s Sporting Director and is expected to join Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis’ portfolio of clubs.

So, why has Edu left the Gunners at a critical point of their project under Mikel Arteta?

Ayo Akinwolere is joined by I’m joined by The Athletic’s football correspondent David Ornstein, Nottingham Forest writer Paul Taylor & Arsenal writer Art de Roche.

00:00 Intro
00:27 David Ornstein on Edu’s legacy
10:15 Player transfers
11:57 The news on Arsenal fans
15:07 Influence of Arteta
24:04 Where could be next for Edu?
30:15 On the pitch matters
34:40 Nottingham Forest
38:47 Sporting directors
39:59 Outro

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Thumbnail: Kristian Skeie - UEFA / Contributor via Getty Images

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[LiverpoolfanINchina]

Nobody said without further EDU at the start of the show ? Fine your writers a days salary

[boshankers]

This summer was the summer to complete the puzzle. Edu and the recruitment staff dropped the ball. And it’s showing on the pitch.

[emmagrant]

Everyone just needs to chill out. The club is in a lot of flux at the moment after a period of stability both on and off the pitch. Things will settle down and get back to normal. Edu has left the club in a good position although we have had a bad run of form. He has done a great job. We need someone who will challenge Arteta and keep him honest. Diversity of voices and ideas is how you move forward.

[RawJah]

I've been listening to this very tired and I feel like David Ornstein talked for 3 hours in this 40 min video.

[BKKLB]

I think Arteta has made a bad habit over past two years of trying to buy improvements rather than improving the team he had. He brought in Zinchenko and Jesus two years ago and they transformed the team. He now has brought in Calafiori to replace Zinchenko.... Jesus work rate during those first two title challenges was unreal... that young man was pulling up trees in both boxes. Now he's been cast as an unreliable goal scorer that takes a backseat to Havertz. They brought in Jurien Timber to replace Ben White, David Raya to replace Ramsdale, Declan Rice to replace Partey and sent XHaka packing and replaced him with Mikel Merino/ Kai Havertz. I worry that this quest to upgrade positions in transfer market ends up destabilizing the squad.... There is an alchemy to it that doesn't just boil down to "buying better players". Perhaps Edu could see that the dressing room wasn't humming anymore. Martinelli and Trossard both have moments but neither is able to establish a good run of form for any length of time.

[LiverpoolfanINchina]

Avoids buying a striker then moves to Forrest just as Chris Wood is on fire. Sell wood to arsenal for 50 million Wood flops Forrest buys an unknown for 10 million who is at hit. Edu master plan all along

[GiftedGaz]

It’s a far bigger challenge than staying at Arsenal, forest and his other teams can improve a lot more than Arsenal. Also I think he’s been wanting a promotion that never came and Marinakis will offer him the CEO roll, maybe this is what he wanted at Arsenal.

[slemsman]

The idea that a manager earns the right to have more power than the Sporting Director/Director of Football through success on the pitch doesn't make sense. If success is on the pitch under those conditions, why change it? Doesn't the DoF get that credit too? Why just the manager? The same thing happened at Liverpool with Klopp and Lijnders given more power as a result of success on the pitch than the likes of Edwards, Ward and then brought in Schmadtke who was basically Klopp's mate.

[LiverpoolfanINchina]

Richard garlic sound like the one American character in an anime

[UnkemptBushell]

What happens to David when he’s not involved in the conversation? He looks like he’s on standby 😂

[classck]

Arsenal missed their window. Their young exciting squad is aging out of their prime and stagnating in development. Gonna be a steady slip back to challenging for Top 4 with the rest.

[xavatar-legendx]

I thought Ayo Akinwolere was a Man Utd fan...

[cupertinoish]

The last thing Arsenal needs is a power struggle between Arteta and the new sporting director.

[Winwin-sdui]

Smart move from Edu using the pump and dump strategy.

[markoh]

It simply isn’t good enough. We’ve spent around 700 million since Arteta’s arrival for a 22-man squad with no prolific striker and too many holding midfielders.

Our expectations as a football club have plummeted and our fanbase will go back to being okay with a top 4 race because that’s what our board is okay with cuz they make a lot of money staying top 4.

When have you ever heard a team finish 2nd place then have a positive net spend transfer window? This summer proved to us that we weren’t serious to win the league.

I wonder if Edu left because the board didn’t back him into getting his signings or if he was released because they weren’t satisfied with him. I know a few years back he wanted Paqueta and Guimares but we didn’t get him.

[giuliotanganelli]

I can smell another magical holiday to Dubai to fix these teething problems with the new players... COYG

[mrz]

To think that he is praised like he helped the team win champions league over champions league..typical arsenal glazing

[Memyabc]

Someone get Ornstein some Kleenex, Christ.

[Saltpondnite]

You guys are over praising Edu. We have spent a lot of money for nothing. He and Arteta have a very narrow tunnel approach to recruiting. They have a big preference for Brazilian, Portuguese and Latino and Spanish speaking players.
The idea of bringing in expensive and below average players like Jesus, Zinchenko and Sterling is his fault.
To have 3 former players as head coach, sporting director and U20 sounds like job for the boys.
If we don't win the EPL or Champions League, Arteta must be fired

[stephenv]

So a £600M net spend to 'challenge' and 'almost' win 🤭