Arsenal suffered a huge blow on Monday morning when Mail Sport exclusively revealed that sporting director Edu has left the club – news that the club confirmed later that afternoon.
Since rejoining the Gunners in July 2019, the Brazilian has been responsible for capturing key signings such as Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice and in leading Arsenal’s strong performance in recruitment and delivering major players to the club.
He is widely thought of as one of the leading sporting directors in world football for masterminding the change in Arsenal’s signing surge as well as supporting the offloading of troubled stars such as Pierre Emerick Aubameyang and Mesut Ozil, who were considered to be part of a failed past.
As exclusively revealed by Mail Sport later on Monday afternoon, Edu is in talks over fronting Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis’ multi-club operation after resigning from his role at the Emirates Stadium.
Edu’s pending exit has left many Gunners fans concerned, given the impact he has had, so in light of the news, Mail Sport has taken a look at every one of his signings, and rated whether they were a hit, miss, or if the jury is still out.
Mail Sport exclusively revealed on Monday that sporting director Edu is leaving Arsenal
The news of the influential Brazilian’s departure will come as a hammer blow to the Gunners
Edu has had a major role in reviving a club that was ailing way before his arrival in July 2019
Summer 2019
Gabriel Martinelli – £6m from Ituano
Plucked from the fourth tier of Brazil, Martinelli has developed into a key lieutenant for Mikel Arteta, racking up 14 caps for his country in the process.
The forward has 34 goals and 18 assists in 138 appearances, while he has shown signs of returning to form this season after a tricky start to 2024.
Still only 23, Martinelli is only going to get better over the next few years and for such a bargain price, the forward is one of the best value signings from any Premier League club in recent times.
Verdict: HIT
Gabriel Martinelli has more than proven his worth since his £6m move from Ituano in 2019
William Saliba – £27m from Saint-Etienne
Given Saliba has developed into one of the best defenders in the Premier League, it’s easy to forget that things didn’t always look this promising when the Frenchman failed to make an appearance for Arsenal across his first three seasons at the club.
But after those temporary stints at…