Edu Gaspar and Mikel Arteta returning to Arsenal in 2019 helped stop the club from sliding further down the table, and they are now thriving.
Arsenal were in crisis in 2019, and the squad was in disarray under Unai Emery. The atmosphere was toxic and wires were crossed at executive level.
Former midfielder Edu Gaspar then returned to the club he once played for, as a sporting director, and he pushed to dismiss Emery and hire Arteta, who entered his first-ever managerial job.
It was a bold appointment, and it took some time to truly get going, but Arsenal have now built a top-quality young squad which is now challenging at the top of the Premier League, and both Arteta and Edu deserve credit as they worked together to help restore the club to where they should be.
Edu Gaspar explains Arsenal dynamic with Mikel Arteta
Speaking on the Men In Blazers podcast, Edu explained why multiple voices are needed at the top-level of decision-making at Arsenal, and how he and Arteta managed to create the perfect dynamic.
“The thing which is important here, is that in the football club, it is impossible to do anything by yourself,” he explained.
“It’s impossible, so you need people around you, you need your coach, you need your teams, you need, legal, financial, communication, if you want everyone in the same direction to make things happen.
“I can have the best idea in the world, but if you don’t have the right people in the right area, with the right support, it’s impossible, and I think we have that in the collective.
“Mikel’s in all those processes, it’s a key element, it’s everything. I try to do nothing that is not comfortable with, and he also tries to do nothing that I not comfortable with.
“We started our relationship when we didn’t know each other, we just knew each other from hello and goodbye, we never had one-on-one time together, we just played against each other, and then we started to create a relationship.
“With relationships, you need time to prove how you are, how you connect, how you trust each other, and now I think we have one edge which for me is beautiful, because I believe we are much more than just sporting director and manager.
“I believe we have a friendship relationship. I know his family, he knows my family, so we get on well together, so I think we built something special here as well, which helps our relationship but helps the club as well, to make sure that two guys in the same position are alright and they can help the club to move forward.”
Edu Gaspar and Mikel Arteta dynamic helped revive Arsenal
Edu and Arteta working in unison on transfers has helped revitalise Arsenal as a club, and has helped shape the squad.
Arteta was in his first managerial job when he became Arsenal’s head coach, and it is clear that Edu’s experience in his role was key to the early stages of their reign.
Arteta is now playing a bigger role in transfers as he is set to sign a new contract, but he and Edu still work closely to ensure they are in agreement over big decisions, and the pair have now made Arsenal one of the best-run clubs in the country.
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