Yahoo Sport 
Edu decision questioned as Nottingham Forest told how former Arsenal chief could shape transfers
Arsenal great Martin Keown has questioned why Edu would leave the Gunners to potentially take up a role at Nottingham Forest.
The Brazilian has decided to step down from his position as sporting director at the Emirates Stadium. Reports suggest he could be set for a post within Reds owner Evangelos Marinakis’ stable of clubs, which also includes Greek giants Olympiacos and Portuguese outfit Rio Ave.
Talks are said to have taken place between the Marinakis group and Edu, with the latter reportedly primed for a job overseeing recruitment. But although third-placed Forest currently sit above Arsenal in the Premier League table, Keown insists he cannot understand why the move would be tempting.
“For me, what could be better than being in that role with Arsenal? I think you have to say he’s done an exceptional job. Arsenal are on the back on the map, they are back in the fight now,” the former Gunners defender told talkSPORT when it was put to him that perhaps Edu had received a better offer from Marinakis.
He added: “If I was in that role I would find it very difficult to let go. It’s a pleasure and an honour to work for Arsenal, there’s a stress that will go with that. He’s a very calm individual but it’s probably taken a lot out of him and maybe there’s a shelf life.”
Former midfielder Edu made 79 league appearances for Arsenal as a player between 2001 and 2005. After retirement, he returned to the club as technical director in 2019. The 46-year-old has played an instrumental role in the Gunners’ emergence as title contenders, including being responsible for signing the likes of Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard.
“He is a really good man. This will be a loss to the club, there is no doubt about that,” Keown added. “He has helped to bring a stability to the club, the culture has changed, back to what we would have seen in the past.
“It will affect the players because he’s at the training ground every day. There’s a working relationship, players do have a great deal of respect for him because it’s hard not to like him.
“In the main, the signings have been good, the club has started to turn round, the DNA of the signings have become very physical, less technical and the club is definitely on the way back. It’s a shock, but of course it can never be about one person.”
Forest have enjoyed a superb start to the campaign in no small part thanks to some impressive recruitment of their own in the summer. They bought smartly, and signings such as Nikola Milenkovic and Elliot Anderson have made big impacts. If Marinakis does employ Edu in a recruitment role, Keown has provided a glimpse into what the Reds could expect.
Asked how much of Arsenal’s success could be put down to Edu, Keown said: “Largely because he is in charge of recruitment, him and the manager, mostly all of it. He is looking for a certain type of player. That’s what’s happened now, you look at the two central defenders they are much more physical, it’s like Land of the Giants. There has been a definite change in the type of player they have tried to purchase; it hasn’t been perfect, it never is.
“I imagine they are going to get the best man in class to step in. If this story is true, it’s a sad time to see him go but I think he goes with the blessing of everybody.”
A trip to the Emirates is on the horizon for the Reds. They host Newcastle United on Sunday in their final game before the international break, then will mark their return to action after the hiatus with a clash against Mikel Arteta’s men on Saturday, November 23.
Reports first linked Marinakis with a shock swoop for Edu in August. However, at the time, Forest poured cold water on the suggestions.
