Arsenal rocked by imminent surprise exit as Premier League top-four rivals eye major swoop

Arsenal sporting director Edu is set to leave the Emirates to join forces with Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis, who owns several football clubs, including Forest and Greek side Olympiacos.

The news will come as a surprise to the Gunners who have enjoyed a resurgence with the help of Edu in the transfer market in recent seasons. Edu has helped Mikel Arteta to develop Arsenal into a strong title contender as they aim to topple Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.

It begins what could be a tough week for Arsenal who come off the back of a defeat in the Premier League to Newcastle United who beat the Gunners 1-0 at St. James’ Park thanks to an Alexander Isak goal, who Arsenal have been linked to signing in recent weeks.

Former Arsenal midfielder Edu has been at the Emirates as a sporting director since November 2022 and has been in talks with the Marinakis group over joining the owner - meaning he could hold a role in Nottingham Forest’s recruitment who have emerged as a surprise top-four rival to Arsenal this season.

The Reds have won their last three Premier League games and now sit one point ahead of the Gunners in third place. They also boast the second-best defensive record in the league under former Wolves and Tottenham Hotspur boss Nuno Espirito Santo coming off the back of a 3-0 win over West Ham this past weekend.

Edu was responsible for some of Arsenal’s best signings since 2022

The move of Edu away from Arsenal could come as a big blow for Mikel Arteta as the former midfielder has played a big part in some of the Gunners’ biggest signings since he joined in November 2022.

Looking at the current Arsenal starting XI, Edu was responsible for bringing in Gabriel, Thomas Partey, Martin Odegaard, Ben White, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz and Declan Rice before this season. Mikel Arteta will have Edu to thank for much of the success that he has found as Arsenal boss.

Furthermore, Edu has played a big role in ensuring that the Gunners operate well in the transfer market so as not to spend too much money compared to who they sell. which has meant they’ve not been under threat from the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules, possibly unlike rivals Manchester City who are facing 115 charges of breaching the PSR.

According to the Sun, Edu had been in talks with Arsenal after several key positions in the club had been reshuffled behind the scenes. However, as of yet, Edu’s reasons for leaving the Emirates remain unknown amid his chance to join the Marinakis group and Nottingham Forest.