Arsenal sporting director Edu is LEAVING the club - in a major blow to Mikel Arteta as he loses key ally who masterminded their transformation and signed Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice

Mikel Arteta is to lose a key ally at Arsenal with highly rated sporting director Edu set to leave the club. The Brazilian, a former Arsenal midfielder, has been responsible for capturing key signings such as Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice and in leading Arsenal's strong performance in recruitment and delivering key players to the club. Arsenal sporting director Edu is set to leave the Gunners after five years at the club The Brazilian has been a close ally of Mikel Arteta as they have led a cultural shift at the club in recent years Edu, regularly photographed by the club photographer alongside new signings and quoted in official club releases, has been the driving force behind a cultural change at the club since he took the role in 2019. Edu was instrumental in bringing top talents to the Emirates including Declan Rice in 2023 Little is known about why the executive is set to move on from his role with more details expected to emerge in the next 24 hours Keown, a Mail Sport columnist, said this about Edu's appointment that eventually lead to an elevation to the Sporting Director role 'I think it is very interesting because he understands this role and he understands the expectancy at Arsenal,' Keown said in 2019.