Recriminations have surfaced over Edu Gaspar’s recruitment choices as he steps down as Arsenal’s sporting director.
Former Arsenal player Edu, who joined the club as technical director in 2019 after a four-year spell at Highbury, has been a key figure in the club’s recent surge under manager Mikel Arteta.
But his time hasn’t been without controversy. Sky Sports analysts Jamie Carragher and Roy Keane have both called out some of Edu’s decisions in public, with the pair calling two summer signings ‘stupid’.
Signing ‘Chelsea reject’ draws criticism.
Carragher and Keane came out against Edu for signing former Chelsea players David Luiz and Willian, describing the pair as ‘rejects.
‘ Carragher was frustrated with these choices on a 2021 appearance on The Overlap fan debate: ‘When you’re talking about Edu as sporting director and you’re bringing David Luiz in and Willian in — two rejects from Chelsea.’
“I’m just scratching my head. ‘I can’t get behind this; it’s wrong, it doesn’t work’,” I’m just saying that.’” Such signings, Keane added, were high cost mistakes that brought little return.
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Shouldn’t Arsenal be questioning their recruitment strategy?
And Carragher also pointed out Arsenal’s lack of clear direction since Arsène Wenger. While conceding that mistakes come with the job, he said Edu’s choices weren’t forward-thinking.
‘Why are you buying rejects from Chelsea who are over 30?’ and then you’re going to give them big deals, and you can’t get rid of them? Before it happens, that’s a mistake. That’s just stupid.”
With Edu leaving, his tenure will be remembered as Arsenal’s successes and failures.
