Arsenal sporting director Edu is reportedly set to leave the club after almost five-and-a-half years in the Emirates offices.
The former Gunners midfielder - a member of the 2003-04 Invincibles squad - rejoined the North London giants as their technical director in July 2019, a few months before Mikel Arteta took over as head coach.
Edu was promoted to the role of sporting director after three years in the job - becoming the first Arsenal man to hold such a position - and the ex-Brazil international has since played a fundamental role in the Gunners' transformation from a mid-table side to Premier League title challengers.
The 46-year-old - named the Best European Director at the 2023 Golden Boy awards - has been one of the driving forces of big-money deals for the likes of Declan Rice and Kai Havertz, as well as securing the futures of several young stars with long-term contract renewals.
Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Magalhaes, Ben White and William Saliba have all had their terms extended since Edu became sporting director, while Arteta also penned a renewal of his own earlier this season.
Arteta to leave Arsenal following 'talks' with club hierarchy
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However, the Daily Mail now reports that Edu is surprisingly set to call time on his Arsenal career at an unspecified date following conversations with the Emirates board.
It is unclear why the Brazilian has now taken the decision to leave the North London giants, although the report claims that there could have been a rejig in responsibilities among the powers-that-be.
Rumours of an internal power struggle are said to be 'too simplistic', but a separate report from Sky Sports News claims that Edu's decision to depart the Emirates has taken the club by surprise.
The erstwhile midfielder - who has been back home in Brazil over the past week for personal matters - is believed to be a candidate for a position within Evangelos Marinakis's conglomerate of clubs.
The Greek tycoon currently owns Nottingham Forest, Rio Ave and Olympiacos, although it is not known whether that is a factor in Edu's decision to leave Arsenal after five years.
How big a blow will losing Edu be?
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News that surely no Arsenal supporter wanted to wake up to on a Monday morning, Edu was initially seen as a figure of frustration in North London, particularly in the 2021-22 season when Arsenal failed to replace Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in January.
However, the South American's expertise of both the club and the transfer market has helped elevate the Gunners to new heights, not to mention his unrivalled ability to broker new contracts for Arsenal's established stars.
At a time when Arsenal are going through a rough patch on the field - only taking one point from their last three Premier League games - Edu's departure, whenever it may be, will be an enormous blow for Arteta at a tough moment.
The Spaniard has developed an extremely close relationship with his colleague ever since taking over in 2019, when he was memorably seen in the stands with Edu at Goodison Park when Freddie Ljungberg's Arsenal drew with Everton.
The situation is somewhat similar to the bitter 2007 departure of former vice chairman David Dein - one of Arsene Wenger's closest allies and a masterful transfer fixer - but whether Edu's exit was amicable or acrimonious is still unknown.
Ben Knapton
