Two factors convinced Arsenal that Edu Gaspar would stay – this is why they were wrong

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Arsenal fans were rocked by the news of sporting director Edu Gaspar’s impending departure on Monday morning.

Edu has decided to step down from his post at the Emirates Stadium. This development will have caused huge problems behind the scenes at the club, as a successor for the Brazilian will now need to be found.

This news could also cause chaos with the club’s upcoming transfer plans, as Edu Gaspar will have been spearheading any talks or negotiations that might already be underway.

Arsenal have not formally commented on Edu’s exit, but it is clear that this is not something that they were expecting to have to deal with at this stage.

• READ MORE: Who is Edu Gaspar? Everything you need to know about the ex-Arsenal player turned director

Why Arsenal thought Edu Gaspar was set to stay

The Gunners had good reason to believe that Edu was set to remain in their service as sporting director for the next year at least.

According to journalist James Benge, reporting on X: “Sources had expected Edu to stay on for at least 12 months after Vinai Venkatesham left as CEO in the summer — he has settled in London and took great pride in Arsenal’s progress. Major pay rise that would come with Marinakis seems to have changed that.”

Edu has established himself in North London and made a life there. The former midfielder also has every reason to be proud of the good work that he and Mikel Arteta have already done together.

Together, the duo have made the club genuinely competitive again. Arsenal will be aiming to launch another Premier League title push this season.

This progress has largely been made possible by the good work that Edu has done in the transfer market. He has successfully brought the likes of Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, and Kai Havertz, amongst many others, to Arsenal, who have all helped to raise the level of the squad.

• READ MORE: How much Arsenal paid to sign every 2024/25 first-team squad player in the transfer market

Why is Edu leaving Arsenal?

However, Edu’s success at Arsenal has clearly caught attention from elsewhere, namely in the form of Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis.

Edu is set to begin working for Marinakis, once his exit from the Emirates Stadium in finalised. Nothing has been officially signed or announced yet, but those details will likely prove to be little more than a formality at this stage.

Edu will be afforded a great deal of power and influence as part of Marinakis’ project, on top of the aforementioned pay raise which clearly helped to turn his head.

Arsenal’s own plans have now been blasted apart, and the club will have to act swiftly to ensure that the fallout of this development does not cause further problems.