Edu Gaspar is set to leave his role as sporting director at Arsenal amid talks over a move to Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest.
The Brazilian has been a major influence on Arsenal’s progression in recent seasons, overseeing the club’s transfer business alongside Mikel Arteta.
He has been credited with helping to rebuild Arsenal, having offloaded the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mesut Ozil in favour of younger players with room to develop at the Emirates.
Edu and Arteta have shared a strong working relationship in North London but the 46-year-old is set to leave his role with the Gunners, according to multiple reports.
He has been in talks with the Evangelos Marinakis, owner of Nottingham Forest, over a role at the City Ground. The Marinakis group own Forest, Greek side Olympiacos, and Portuguese outfit Rio Ave and Edu could be tasked with leading the recruitment of the three sides.
Forest have spent heavily since their promotion into the Premier League in 2022 and are targeting a more structured recruitment process, after scattergun signings in recent windows.
Edu’s departure will be a surprise reshuffle in the hierarchy with his time at the club having coincided with Arsenal’s return to the Champions League and a status as Premier League title challengers. It will be a blow to Arteta, whose side are without a win in three Premier League games to fall seven points adrift of leaders Liverpool in the title race.
He previously made 127 appearances across all competitions during a five-season spell with the North Londoners as a player, where he won two Premier League titles and formed part of the Invincibles side of 2003/04.
