Wenger return, Arteta transfer plan - Arsenal Edu replacement decision made after shock exit

Arsenal sporting director Edu Gaspar is set to leave the club after helping the Gunners go from struggling to qualify for the Champions League, to Premier League title challengers. The former midfielder returned to north London in 2019 as technical director before being appointed as the club's first-ever sporting director in 2022.

Since then, . A fifth-place finish in 2021/22 was followed by leading the pack for most of the following campaign, only to slip up late on.

Arsenal pushed City even closer, and went to the final day in contention. The Gunners had been listed by many as favourites to end Pep Guardiola's dominance at the top of table, something unthinkable before Edu came in.

Wider than Edu, Arsenal have had total structural change with Tim Lewis and Josh Kroenke taking on positions of increasing power. Stan Kroenke has had less of a day-to-day impact.

Edu, it is clear, really did have the keys to London Colney. It will leave a giant hole for Arsenal to replace. Here, football.london writers discuss what this means for Arsenal and how Edu's shoes can be filled.

Tom Coley

This is not the news we expected on a Monday morning. Perhaps over the international break next week, it might have made more sense. Coming days after a defeat for Arsenal and Arteta, you cannot help but feel shaken by the whole thing.

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and it has been incredibly beneficial. This season has started in a way that only makes this report more shocking.

Edu has been at the top of everything Arsenal have done well now for so long. He has helped transform them back into regular competitors in a way they hadn't been for almost 20 years. That isn't the sort of thing that can be replaced overnight.

The way Arsenal have worked suggests that a former player or internal candidate might be the one. Per Mertesacker, for example, but that is a long shot given his academy coaching role is entirely different to running sporting operations. Maybe that is what we are looking at, though.

It's hard to really think about what an Edu-less Arsenal might look like. This is an enormous period for the club.

Jack Flintham

Like all successful clubs these days, That is why Edu's impending departure from Arsenal is causing such waves in the world of football on Monday.

After a tough run of form, this is the last thing that Arteta would have wanted and it is imperative that Arsenal move towards a best-in-class appointment to fill the impending gap in their recruitment team. While they may want to hire someone with connections to the club, I don't think they would go too far wrong approaching Luis Campos at PSG.

Following Kylian Mbappe's departure in the summer, there were rumours that Campos wanted to leave the Parisian giants. This has so far not come to fruition but with his contract expiring at the end of the season, there are no guarantees that he will sign a new deal.

Arsenal could offer him a new challenge at a club on the up and provide him with more control than he is currently afforded with PSG. His background as a scout should also come in handy for the Gunners in the transfer market and his role in unearthing gems like Mbappe, Bernardo Silva and Thomas Lemar is certainly impressive.

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Sam Truelove

Edu has been an incredible success at Arsenal since being appointed technical director in July 2019. In just over five years, the Brazilian has helped turn the Gunners into title contenders once again.

His exit would be a huge blow, there's no question about that, and the timing is far from ideal given we are not even midway through the 2024/25 campaign. But he's not irreplaceable, although who Arsenal appoint as his replacement remains to be seen.

While some may see legendary manager Arsene Wenger as the right man for the job, it may suit the club if the replacement was not as well known. Last month it emerged that James King, a former Arsenal executive, is set to return to the club as director of football operations.

It could well be that King has been brought back with Edu's impending departure in mind. King is due to take up the position left by Richard Garlick, who has since stepped up to become managing director following Vinai Venkatesham's departure at the end of last season.

At this point, though, lots of things remain up in the air.

Jake Stokes

Edu Gaspar has played a crucial role in transforming Arsenal into title contenders under Mikel Arteta, so his departure obviously comes as a blow. But it's really not the end of the world!

The Brazilian has wrapped some shrewd deals and signed some big names for the Gunners. Of course, he's done a good job. Edu has been a pillar in Arsenal's recent success. But I can't help but feel like he could've done more for the club from a recruitment perspective.

Why weren't the North Londoners dominating South American market during his tenure? Edu enjoyed several years at Corinthians as both a player and a director of football before becoming the general coordinator for the Brazil FA.

The only notable signing Arsenal made from a Brazilian club was Gabriel Martinelli – and he was unveiled a week before Edu was officially appointed. Otherwise, we're looking at Pablo Marí and Marquinhos....

It just feels like the Gunners spent years trying to build relationships in the South American market... all for nothing. Again, it's not to say that Edu hasn't done a good job, but I'd like to see Arsenal's next chief do more to build for the future.

Amie Wilson

Edu has been key to Arsenal’s success over the past few seasons and finding the right replacement will be key to maintaining or even bettering that in the future. It means the club should take their time in making sure the appointment is right.

While I don’t have any specific names in mind, I think one really important aspect is making sure that Mikel Arteta is a key part of the recruitment process. After all, his relationship with whoever takes over is one of the most important in the club if they want to continue to build a team that can challenge for titles.

It’s also important that Arsenal don’t rush to bring in a replacement just for the sake of it. If they don’t bring in the right person, then that could be a massive step back in the progress they have made over the last few seasons.