Former Arsenal midfielder Ray Parlour has given his verdict on the club’s sporting director, Edu.
In an interview with The Mirror, Ray Parlour has opened up on the job Edu is doing at Arsenal, and what he feels the Brazilian’s focus must be this summer.
Parlour spent 15 years with the Gunners as a player. The midfielder, nicknamed the ‘Romford Pele’, came through the club’s academy and went on to make 466 first team appearances. He won three Premier League titles and five FA Cups, amongst other accolades, in his time with the north London outfit.
Parlour was also a member of the legendary ‘Invincibles’ squad, alongside Edu. The pair played together in the middle of the park for Arsenal under Arsene Wenger for four seasons.
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Edu returned to the Emirates Stadium as sporting director in 2019, and has since helped oversee the club’s restoration to the Champions League. He has worked alongside Mikel Arteta this summer, bringing the likes of Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, and Jurrien Timber to the club.
Edu has impressed Parlour so far, but the 50-year-old believes there is still more work to be done this summer. The 10-cap former England man says, “I know for a fact he wants to get a few players out, three or four players…they’re all on good contracts so it’s sometimes difficult…if the players can agree to leave and go to other clubs then maybe there is room for another player coming in…the most important thing now is to get three or four players out of the club and probably release a bit of money that way.”
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Edu’s top priority for Arsenal
Selling players will certainly be Edu’s top priority at this point in the transfer window. He needs to demonstrate, that as well as buying well, he can fetch good prices for players Arsenal want to move on.
Despite recent links with Brentford goalkeeper David Raya, Arsenal must sell before buying again, having already shelled out over £200 million recently.
The likes of Nuno Tavarez, Rob Holding, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Cedric Soares, and Nicolas Pepe could all be moved on as part of this process. Whether those departures would raise much in terms of funds remains to be seen, but getting their wages off the books is a must.