Arsenal icon has already said he wants to come back and replace Edu Gaspar as sporting director

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Arsenal have begun their search for a new sporting director after Edu Gaspar resigned from that role.

Many fans woke up on Monday to the shocking news that the Brazilian has left his role at the Emirates after over five years at the job.

Nobody expected Edu to leave Arsenal halfway through the season, but the decision has been made and the 46-year-old has been allowed to move on.

Arsenal fans are now wondering who will succeed him. One Gunners fan favourite has previously expressed his desire to come back to the Emirates as the sporting director.

Santi Cazorla would love to return to Arsenal as the sporting director

Santi Cazorla is one of the biggest fan favourites in Arsenal’s Emirates era.

The Spaniard joined the Gunners from Malaga in the summer of 2012 and spent six years at the club. He won the fans over right on his debut and is loved even to this day.

Cazorla is 39 now and is still playing. He dons Real Oviedo’s colours in Spain these days and although he doesn’t play much, he’s still delivering.

The little magician has provided four assists in 833 minutes of football for the Spanish side, which is an excellent return considering his age.

Cazorla’s contract at Oviedo expires at the end of this season, and the expectation is that he will hang up his boots next summer.

The 39-year-old has already talked about his future, and one of his dreams is to ‘come back’ to Arsenal – either as a coach or a sporting director.

Speaking in May 2020, when Edu was still at the helm at Arsenal, Cazorla said, as per the Standard: “I don’t know what my legacy is [at Arsenal]. You would have to ask the fans, but I want to thank everyone.

“I don’t know what I will do next, maybe a coach, maybe a sports director, but I would like to come back.”

READ MORE: Arsenal fans will absolutely adore what 39-year-old Santi Cazorla did in Spain recently

Could Cazorla replace Edu as Arsenal’s sporting director?

Every Arsenal fan would love to see Cazorla return in some capacity.

The Spaniard is a joy to have around the place, and everyone who saw him play in the famous red and white absolutely loves him.

However, the sporting director role at Arsenal is a huge one and to fill Edu’s shoes, they will need someone with a lot of experience at the highest level.

Cazorla, unfortunately, is not that guy, so we will be shocked if Arsenal would even consider him as an option for the now-vacant role at the club.

It will be interesting to see who Arsenal owners Stan and Josh Kroenke will consider for the role in the coming weeks.