sounds like it wasn't happy families behind the scenes:
"...the reason for his departure is due to ‘internal disagreements over the line to follow for the future of Arsenal, which arose amid a long-term strategic review of the club.’
Sources say that Edu holds ‘opposing positions to other leading figures at Arsenal about the next steps for the development of Arsenal’ and in order not to ruin his ‘fantastic’ relationship with the club, decided to leave."
https://www.teamtalk.com/arsenal/tru...-are-clarified
Well it's official https://www.arsenal.com/news/edu-gas...rting-director
On reflection I am not liking this departure.
Stability and continuity are very important for any football club, and we more than any have experienced what happens when it is not there. Edu has been a big part of our transformation since Arteta's arrival (as well as recruiting him), and until yesterday, we were seen as a settled club, with Arsenal DNA (Edu was an Invincible after all), and a clear and effective plan for sustained success. This is important for player recruitment as much as anything else.
I am not saying that things should never change, but the optics and circumstances of Edu's departure ring alarm bells. This was clearly not something that was planned for, and took the club by surprise. Further, it is decidedly odd that just as (we all thought), we were close to fulfillment of a staged plan to get back to the top, our sporting director chooses to leave.
By all accounts Edu was Arteta's friend and ally. A bit like David Dein with Wenger. And we all saw how things eventually came off the rails once Wenger no longer had someone he trusted to help guide his approach.
It's difficult to see this news as anything other than a destabilising factor. We can debate Edu's role in signings all we like, but after Arteta's arrival it is difficult to see their partnership as anything other than successful. I think Arsenal will have to work hard to ensure that Edu's departure does not have damaging repercussions.
Putting the laughter back into manslaughter
Ultimately, in football as in all walks of life…people change jobs. I think any suggestion of tension seems to be purely speculative. What appears more likely is that Edu got headhunted and made an offer he couldn’t refuse, being paid more to take on a more influential role.
Is it desirable? No but for a club like Arsenal it shouldn’t be that much of an issue. Dein’s departure was acrimonious because there was a clear dividing line between him and Hill-Wood over selling shares to KSE. What should not be allowed to happen is for Arteta to do what Wenger did and use the power vaccum to grab more responsibility and influence at the club