I told Edu what transfers to make at Arsenal before his last season - this is what he did next

The record will show that Edu Gaspar's only full season as Arsenal sporting director was the one in which they recorded their second-highest-ever Premier League points tally. That is no fluke.

He was promoted from technical director to become the club's first sporting director in November 2022, a reflection of the job he had done to turn things around under Mikel Arteta. In 2019, and then 12 months on, as Arteta struggled to get things moving at the Emirates Stadium, things were noisy and problematic.

Within two years, Edu helped to calm things down, return order, and provide a structure for success. In the middle of it all, he spoke to football.london. It was a bit like the job he had inherited and taken on at Arsenal, all a bit surreal and chaotic.

Perhaps with mirrors to the loud and unhinged environment he walked into, the chance to be in the vicinity of Edu came out of nowhere and was mainly off the hook. Edu's appearance within it was serene, though.

Appearing at a promotional event at Dagenham's Chigwell Construction Stadium, on the outskirts of London, the Arsenal figure was one of several high-profile attendees for a charity match put on by Crypto and gambling site playing.io. Much like his early days at Arsenal, he was slightly outshone in the pecking order by Tottenham.

Both Richarlison and Emerson Royal were present for this game, whilst then-Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz was also there, a player strongly linked with Arsenal at the time. The stadium was packed with Brazilians screaming. Imagine a Sidemen charity match but with fully grown adults making up the majority of spectators, more actual chanting and cheering, plus South American influencers boasting over 20 million Instagram followers.

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The atmosphere was one of a carnival at a football stadium. Like nothing seen before or since. People shrieked with joy and danced throughout the stands. None of it really made any sense and had been hastily arranged for football.london to attend.

The draw had been the chance to sit down with Edu ahead of the 2023 summer transfer window. Arsenal were chasing Declan Rice and looking to build on their impressive jump from fifth to second the year before. Edu had taken sporting control around seven months earlier.

The January prior had seen him go out to boost Arsenal's chances of maintaining their lead at the top of the table. Jakub Kiwior, Jorginho, and Leandro Trossard all joined. It was an exciting time, and although Arteta's side fell off towards the end, there was positivity heading into the 2023/24 campaign already.

Less than two weeks after the climax of that season, football.london was offered the slightly off-grid and unguarded chance to be with Edu. Pitched as a press conference pre-match and then interviews afterwards, it was a unique opportunity to get access to a man behind the revival at Arsenal, as well as anything attainable from the other players.

Emerson, it turns out, was not willing to speak any English, and Richarlison was the most popular footballer there by quite a distance - he couldn't match the hype generated by Luva, an incredibly famous Brazilian online personality. It was one of the most unnatural settings to stage even an off-the-record meeting with someone like Edu.

Away from the prying eyes of many and without communications bosses to gatekeeper too much, it was an end-of-season treat, though. As it turned out, things didn't go so smoothly.

Unlike Edu's eventual plans for the summer window, time was wasted and organisation was sorely lacking. He played 45 minutes at centre-back, with Richarlison and Emerson on the pitch as well. The former midfielder was then whisked off.

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With fans at this stage already over the moon with the chance to see some of their heroes in an unfiltered environment, Edu's half-time disappearance looked to spell the end of what had been described as a one-on-one interview previously. Promised at least 15 minutes with his company in a suite before hand, what followed was scarcely believable for a professional event.

football.london questioned throughout the second half whether Edu would be available for a chat, only to be mysteriously kept in the quiet. Journalists, clearly, had not been at the forefront of whatever preparations and scheduling had gone on for this.

Eventually, with the final knocking of the game being played out, a glimmer of hope came about. Movement was made towards the tunnel, and the brief was to wait for Edu, who was in the changing room. It did not reflect anything even the most frantically assembled mixed zone could offer.

A while later, out came the man of the moment. Compared to the flock of reporters, recording devices, and media attention he would be getting if this was at an Arsenal game, or quite literally anywhere else, the sight of Arsenal's sporting director in a cramped corridor at Dagenham, faced with some frustrated, angry, and out-of-patience writers, was a strange one.

What he did next continued the trend of being out of the ordinary. Asked quickly how he reflected on Arsenal's season and the plan for the summer window, Edu laughed politely. He had been informed not to speak of anything that couldn't be used as promotional material for the company.

Instead, sensing the disgruntled handful in front of him were less than impressed with coordinators at this stage, he turned the question on its head. Here, Arsenal's sporting director - a man with two Premier League titles and three FA Cups to his name, an Invincible under Arteta - was flipping things entirely. He reversed the roles of this makeshift interview, asking what the journalists had analysed themselves.

Addressed with total courtesy, Edu shook the hands of the few around him sincerely. He listened as tentative responses came in, suggesting that Arsenal had fallen short due to squad depth but had largely impressed. Edu even entertained questions about transfers, even though he wasn't willing to answer them himself.

He was told by reporters that a striker and midfielder would take Arsenal closer yet again. To this he let off a sly nod and thanked those around him for being patient, but that only event-related matters would be discussed from then on. With grace, he swept off.

At this stage, football.london was then told that total coverage of match celebrations would be possible from the changing rooms once players had dressed. It was certainly once in a lifetime, but also for a reason. It was hardly what had been offered, and none took up the chance to listen to Richarlison singing.

In fact, Edu looked to have gotten things right. He sped off and was out of sight before the game finished, leaving Emerson, Luiz, and Richarlison to be mobbed on the field. It hadn't been what was expected but did offer a glimpse into the person looking after Arsenal.

From the interaction, it was clear why players and those at the training ground were so connected to Edu. He has time for everyone and showed no signs of snobbery despite what was a farcical situation to be left in. Instead, he was still the highlight of an evening that didn't go to plan.

It was there, in that corridor, moments after Edu had showered - his aftershave still clinging to him - that plans for what is expected to be his only full season as sporting director were being analysed in front of him by those who have less football talent combined than he did even out of position at 45. Arsenal will benefit from that, even if he is not hanging around to witness the final outcome of the project he has built.