When Edu resigned from his role as Arsenal’s sporting director earlier this week, it surprised many people — both within the London club and throughout the rest of football. The fact he is set to join Evangelos Marinakis, in a multi-club role, as his next position may also have come as a shock to some.
Here, The Athletic looks at why Edu has been a long-term target for a position that will see him have an influence not only at Nottingham Forest but also at Marinakis-owned Olympiacos and Rio Ave of the top divisions in Greece and Portugal respectively — and at what he might bring to it if appointed as anticipated.
Why do Nottingham Forest want Edu?
It is not just Forest. It is anticipated Edu’s role will see him take a senior role within the Marinakis football empire, rather than at the City Ground specifically — but landing somebody who has made the kind of impact he has at Arsenal is still a coup.
It was a big surprise in the capital when Edu announced he was set to depart the Emirates Stadium but at Forest — and Olympiacos and Rio Ave — the direction of travel will be seen as a positive step. Forest have taken some significant strides forward this season, defying many people’s predictions that they would face a third consecutive fight against relegation by moving into third place after the first 10 games of the 2024-25 Premier League.
As well as seeking improvement on the pitch, Marinakis and the Forest hierarchy want to see them evolve off it as well and have been courting Edu, on some level, for several months. He is seen as somebody who would bring an extra layer of kudos to all three clubs.
No contract has been signed and the final details are still to be settled, but it has been agreed in principle that his next role will be working with Marinakis. His appointment, when confirmed, will be the result of a long campaign to persuade him to take on a new challenge.
What might his role be?
The Brazilian will have a part to play within the Marinakis football empire, which currently includes Forest, Olympiacos in Greece and Portuguese club Rio Ave.
There is also the possibility that Marinakis adds to his footballing portfolio in the future; the Greek shipping magnate is understood to be enthusiastic about the idea of potentially taking control of another team somewhere.
While it is currently unclear precisely what Edu’s position will be, his role is expected to involve a level of influence in those plans to expand the empire further. He would be a key figure, if and when any such opportunities arise.
This is effectively a promotion for Edu, who will have a wider influence and more power than he did at Arsenal.
How close to first-team matters will he be?
The former Brazil international may not be as directly hands-on as he has been during the past five years at Arsenal, purely because of the wider remit he is expected to take on.
Forest — along with Olympiacos and Rio Ave — would be foolish not to lean on the experience and knowledge of recruitment that Edu has gained during his time in north London on some level. There is intrigue in Athens when it comes to what part he might have to play in helping Olympiacos build on their European success in May, where they beat Fiorentina of Italy 1-0 in the final of the Europa Conference League.
One of his biggest strengths at Arsenal lay in how he was a ‘connector’ behind the scenes.
As The Athletic’s Amy Lawrence puts it, Edu “could effectively speak a lot of football languages”. He was equally personable whether dealing with members of the club’s hierarchy such as owners and directors, coaching staff, players, people at other clubs, agents or fans.
Edu will not be tasked with focusing on one club alone and, at Forest, chief football officer Ross Wilson and head of football development Craig Mulholland have done impressive work revamping the training ground and their academy setup.
Both the atmosphere and the physical environment have been changed massively at the Nigel Doughty Academy, while the club’s recruitment — often the subject of an undue level of criticism when they first returned to the Premier League in summer 2022 after 23 years in the EFL — has been increasingly impressive with each passing window. The capture of Nikola Milenkovic for £10million from Fiorentina and the signing of Elliot Anderson — in a deal effectively worth £15m — from Newcastle, both this summer, are looking like outstanding pieces of business.
The good work done by George Syrianos in data-based recruitment led to him being promoted to global technical director — also overseeing all three clubs — in June.
Edu has close ties with leading agent Kia Joorabchian, who represented him during his playing days. It feels inevitable that Joorabchian — who has previously had working relationships with Everton, Reading, Manchester City, West Ham and Newcastle — will also have some level of influence in the Marinakis stable of clubs as a result of Edu’s appointment.
They were both guests at a dinner hosted by Marinakis in the build-up to Olympiacos’ Europa Conference League triumph in May. Joorabchian and Marinakis are also co-investors in a racehorse and were seen arriving at Stamford Bridge together for Forest’s recent game against Chelsea. So there is an existing relationship between the two men.
Forest have renewed their relationship with another influential agent, Jorge Mendes, since their return to the Premier League, but Edu’s impending arrival might see Joorabchian get a foot in the door.
What did Edu do at Arsenal?
Edu returned to Arsenal, who he had played for from 2001-05, initially as technical director in summer 2019. Three years later, he became their first ever sporting director.
The now 46-year-old had a hand in signings, contract renewals and offloading players who became surplus to requirements — and was also in charge of overseeing other aspects of the club, including the academy.
When he was first appointed, Arsenal described him as the ‘final and very important’ piece of the jigsaw at a landmark moment in their history, as they looked to acclimatise to life without Arsene Wenger, their legendary manager who had stepped down in summer 2018 after 22 years.
Edu had been part of the ‘Invincibles’ side under Wenger but, despite wearing a suit rather than a tracksuit in his second Arsenal career, his influence remained significant. The former midfielder had a big part to play in bringing Mikel Arteta to the club as head coach in December 2019, with the Spaniard leading them to FA Cup final success at the end of that season.
There have been no additions to the Arsenal trophy cabinet since, but the work of Edu and Arteta has helped turn them back into challengers for the Premier League title the club haven’t won since 2004, finishing as runners-up, behind Manchester City on both occasions, in each of the past two seasons.
Of Arsenal’s starting XI against Newcastle last weekend, 10 joined the club after the appointment of Edu, with the other being academy graduate Bukayo Saka.
Not every signing under him has been a hit — his countrymen David Luiz and Willian (now at Olympiacos) didn’t have the expected impact, for example — but there have been numerous transfer market successes, including Ben White, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel, Martin Odegaard (Arsenal’s current captain) and Declan Rice.
Edu was regarded as a charming, friendly presence behind the scenes at Arsenal, where he rapidly became a welcoming, warm character. In the statement announcing his departure, co-chairman Josh Kroenke said: “We respect Edu’s decision and thank him for his immense contribution and dedication to drive the club forward.”
Whether Edu has quite such a hands-on role in the business Forest do in future transfer windows remains to be seen — talks are already understood to have taken place to identify some potential targets for the project — but his abilities as a communicator and negotiator may be just as valuable in other ways.
(Top photo: Lia Toby/Getty Images)
