In terms of timing, the news that Edu is set to leave Arsenal couldn’t really have been worse for the club. They’re on this bad run, and it suddenly paints the picture of dysfunction behind the scenes that could further affect what happens on the pitch.
The reality is that this news stems from discussions that have been going on from back when results were far better. The Evangelos Marinakis ownership group has wanted Edu for some time, and they have been willing to more than treble his wages and increase his power. The Brazilian is understood to have been on a salary of around £2m at Arsenal.
From that perspective, it makes rather simple sense. There are still questions, not least over what it means for Arsenal, as well as the power dynamics at the club. The Marinakis ownership group is meanwhile clearly intent on expanding.
Money isn’t the only reason for Edu’s departure, even if such numbers sound as persuasive as you can get. The 2003-04 title winner is known to have wanted more influence, and there has even been internal talk about angling for the chief executive role at Arsenal. The Marinakis group, which owns Nottingham Forest in England, would certainly offer much more power.
Arsenal have instead gone in another direction, and some of this is understood to be partly linked to changing dynamics within the club. As executive vice-chair, Tim Lewis, is the Kroenke ownership’s most influential figure, with the football department entirely revolving around Mikel Arteta. The Basque’s transformative impact ensured he was promoted from head coach to outright manager, inherently lessening the role of any technical director.
That of course raises the key question of how much Arsenal will now miss Edu, and what comes next.
These changes have all come out of a gradual process from the realignment in 2020, when the pandemic was at its peak and loss of income made the hierarchy rethink a club that had become a basketcase.
Edu survived and then solidified his place as a key figure from that period, forming what appeared to be a new partnership with Arteta. While they were always cordial and largely worked well together, some insiders nevertheless insist the idea of an “alliance” was overstated. There were more disagreements than expected, although none of these are described as anything out of the ordinary for the environment.
Edu’s transfer record was mixed before 2020, but that did improve once they had fully decided on the profile of the squad from that summer. While Arsenal did then have trouble moving some of the less successful signings on, Edu was viewed as a strong voice in backing Arteta when pushing to get rid of those on expensive contracts like Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
The 46-year-old does have charisma, which has helped deals get done. He has that understanding of what a top-level player needs, and that has aided negotiations in transfers. Declan Rice’s move from West Ham United is held up as a pointed example there.
Many people believe that fully justifies Edu’s presence in signing photos alongside the smiling players, but others are a touch more critical.
One line was “he looks the part sitting there in a white suit, but he’s no Michael Edwards”.
As catty as that description can appear, the reference to the Liverpool recruitment supremo is now relevant to Arsenal.
Arteta’s all-encompassing managerial role means they don’t truly need a sporting director in the modern sense. They need an even more modern recruitment guru.
It probably says much about the situation that this leak was so abrupt that Arsenal did not have any kind of succession in place, even if insiders were aware “something was off for the last few weeks”.
There is a belief that the model remains robust for the moment. The feeling is that Arteta’s squad is now so finely tuned that they know exactly what profile of player they want for each position, and the field is necessarily narrow. Hence signings like Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber were easy to settle on in the summer.
The club also back their wider recruitment team in that sense.
What might now be missing is the final elements, the deal-making and that wider eye.
As unwelcome as the development is for Arsenal, it would be wrong to say there was tension. There’s no great disruption either. The team can carry on as is. The wider club now just have to reconsider their strategy.
This was mostly a case of a high-profile executive wanting more money and influence in his role at the club. The Marinakis group will offer that, amid widespread speculation they will add to seek another club to Nottingham Forest, Olympiakos and Rio Ave.
Arsenal now set out looking for another name – but the role might not quite have the same parameters as Edu’s did.
States of Play by Miguel Delaney publishes with Seven Dials on 7 November. The book can be pre-ordered here