The significant Arsenal change which led to Edu Gaspar’s exit as three replacements admired

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Edu Gaspar recently stepped down from his role as Arsenal’s sporting director, in an unexpected move.

Edu is set to take a role in Evangelos Marinakis’ multi-club setup, which will see the former Arsenal midfielder work at clubs including Olympiakos and Nottingham Forest.

The Brazilian was Arsenal’s sporting director for the past five seasons, and worked well with Mikel Arteta to build a squad with younger players who are now challenging for the title.

Edu’s departure came as a surprise, but whilst the offer from Marinakis appeared to be too good to turn down, there was an internal decision which played a huge part in his Arsenal exit.

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Arsenal internal change led to Edu Gaspar’s exit

Edu’s decision to leave was partly motivated by an internal disagreement at Arsenal, sources have informed Arsenal Insider.

Owners Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, as well as executive vice-chairman Tim Lewis, are looking for ways for Arsenal’s internal structure to evolve.

There is a desire to realign the footballing department, but Edu was not in full agreement that changes were required, which played a part in his decision to leave.

The changes could see the next director operate in a slightly different role to Edu, as Arsenal internally shuffle around the responsibilities within the club.

Arsenal will now look for a replacement, and they already have a few names in mind.

Arsenal eye up Simon Rolfes, Luis Campos and Roberto Olabe as Edu Gaspar replacements

Real Sociedad director Roberto Olabe recently announced his upcoming departure from the Basque side, and given that Olabe signed Mikel Arteta during his playing days, he could be a perfect fit.

Sources have confirmed that Olabe has admirers within Arsenal, as does Paris Saint-Germain director Luis Campos, and Bayer Leverkusen’s Simon Rolfes.

Campos is highly regarded across Europe, and pulled off a masterclass as he signed reported Arsenal target Joao Neves this summer.

Rolfes hired Xabi Alonso at Leverkusen, and also signed Granit Xhaka from Arsenal, who helped them complete an historic unbeaten season.

Arsenal are also considering promotion from within, and academy director Per Mertesacker cannot yet be ruled out of contention, with it likely that the process to replace Edu will take some time to complete.