Mikel Arteta has revealed that Arsenal’s search for a new sporting director could be over “relatively quickly” – five months after Edu left the club.
Former midfielder Edu had served as the Gunners’ sporting director since November 2022 but resigned in November to pursue a new opportunity with Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis. Since the Brazilian’s departure, his former assistant, Jason Ayto, has filled the void temporarily at the Emirates.
But Arteta has hinted that the club’s search for a full-time replacement could be nearing a conclusion, with a decision expected “quite early”. Asked about the search for Edu’s replacement on Tuesday, Arteta said, “The decision I think will be done relatively quickly, whether it’s Jason or somebody else, I don’t know, but I think that decision will be done quite early.”
The London Evening Standard reports that executive vice-chair Tim Lewis and managing director Richard Garlick are overseeing Arsenal’s search for Edu’s replacement. Arteta, though, insisted that Arsenal’s failure to sign any players in the January transfer was not down to an absent sporting director.
“We have the sporting director which is Jason, it’s clear and he’s been since the departure of Edu from day one he has been given full responsibility, all our support from that aspect and what the club wants to do after that is not on me,” said Arteta.
“It’s a club decision to try to appoint the person that they believe is the best and I will be in full support of that.
“The plan was more or less drawn as to what we wanted to achieve in the window. We have achieved certain things, not all of them but this always happens, in the summer as well.
“Last summer it was the same. We wanted to do certain things, some of them are renewals, some of them try to recruit some players, some with the academy, some others we didn’t want to sell. This window was the same.
“I think Jason and the team have both done a really good job. But then it’s the market, and it’s complicated.”
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