Edu Gaspar's £500m transfer gift to Arsenal confirmed as Mikel Arteta hammer blow emerges

Arsenal will find themselves in a position they haven't been in since 2019 following news of Edu Gaspar's imminent exit as sporting director.

Reports have claimed that Edu is set to leave the club after five years in a shock revelation. He re-joined the Gunners as technical director from the Brazilian FA in the summer of 2019 before being appointed as the club's first-ever sporting director in 2022.

The reasons for his exit are not yet known but it does come as a shock after playing such a big part in helping Mikel Arteta's turnaround at the Emirates Stadium. Nearly every transfer announcement has seen the former midfielder involved with Edu a key clog in incomings and outgoings.

His exit is not only a blow for Arsenal but for Arteta. The pair have worked up a good relationship over the years with the Spaniard claiming just last summer how Edu had changed his life. "From the moment they brought Edu in, it was an absolute success," he told ESPN Brazil [via SportsWitness].

"Someone who was a player and was absurdly successful at the club, who knew the culture and had a clear vision of how to win. He changed my life, because he had the courage to trust me without having been a coach, at such a big club and at a difficult time.

"You have to have a lot of personality to do that."

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Since Edu began stamping his mark on the Arsenal team, the number of transfer successes is unmatched. The likes of Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Magalhaes, Ben White, Declan Rice and Gabriel Jesus have all been signed under his stewardship.

On the pitch, the club have benefitted. After two eighth-placed finishes, the Gunners recorded a better 2021/22 season to finish fifth before challenging for the Premier League title in the last two campaigns. Despite falling short in the title race to Manchester City, Arsenal are now considered one of the best teams in the country.

There's no doubt that Edu's departure could impact the club negatively in the future. When assessing how the squad has changed over his spell, the millions made is jaw-dropping. At the start of the 2019/20 season, according to transfermarkt.com, the playing squad was worth €607.65million (£510.4m) with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Nicolas Pepe and Alexandre Lacazette the most valuable.

Fast-forward five years and that figure has reached a sensational €1.17billion (£982.7m). Bukayo Saka, Rice, Odegaard and William Saliba are all valued at €80m (£67.2m) or more. That's a sizable increase of just under £500m.

When Odegaard first joined the club, he was valued at just €40m (£33.6m). Now, the Arsenal captain is said to be worth €110m (£92.4m). Centre-back Gabriel, who cost £27m, is now worth €75m (£63m).

Edu's exit will hurt Arsenal. But unlike the usual circumstance that clubs find themselves in when a key figure departs, the Gunners are in a good position. Despite still failing to lift the Premier League title, Arteta's squad is one of the most-valuable in world football and they have Edu to thank for that.