I think Edu is off to new challenge because of summer transfers, there was constant stream of stories about Arteta wanting Merino and a bunch of our senior execs didn't but we bought the Spaniard anyway.
I think Kroenkes are treating Arteta like they did Wenger, full control we are an AKB club and every one else has to work around it, and there would be no job satisfaction for Edu if he just acquiring players he thinks wont help us progress but is being told to buy them anyway.
I'm a bit obsessed with Tomiyasu. I've been for a while.
When Saliba got injured in March 2023 and that fuck also got injured in the same game?
He had only started about 3 or 4 games between January and the middle of March because he missed all of November and December. Then when we needed him when Saliba got injured, madafaka also got injured (in the same game even before Saliba) and that was the end of his season.
The season before (21/22) he got injured in December and came back at the beginning of May. Incredible.
And now, guess what... We've been forced to play someone at RB because Ben White dared miss a record amount of 5 games in his career. Where was Tomiyasu? You got it -> INJURED.
Partey was moved to RB and our midfield instantly felt worse for it.
It all spiraled thanks to a guy collecting a salary for nothing.
Extend him again please. It will be different this time. I promise.
Even though I am not quick to throw rocks at Arteta, I would speculate that the players we got were by his choice and there was noise about people at the club (hard not to assume Edu here) were not in agreement over the deals of especially Merino and to a lesser extend Calafiori.
The rumors were making rounds and at one point I said I hoped the Merino deal fell through as I think he fits the minimum requirement of an Arsenal player but that's about it. But from what we know, (from Ornstein, Fabrizio etc) Arteta was really pushing for him and in the end he got his man.
For Calafiori a few people in here were pessimistic about because of his god awful history with injuries. I hope he manages to stay fitter in the future, but his first months at Arsenal just confirm what everybody at Arsenal should have expected.
So we've got Raya, Merino, Calafiori and Sterling coming in - tough to not state the obvious that all 4 transfers are Arteta transfers.
Kudos to Edu for getting decent money of our players for the first time in a long ass while but I would question the transfers of Merino and Calafiori. A Sporting Director with no say is not what you want in that position.
I think the duo of Artedu worked wonders, I do believe they were bouncing off ideas of one another but Arteta's rise to power is obvious and while I agree that he should have a big say in the players we're targeting, but there has to be a bit of a balance.
I was vastly against the CEO buying players for the manager like Raul was doing for Emery - a grave mistake. But this feels like balancing at the other side of the spectrum.
Nobody in the world would decline a triple your salary deal and a superb job title that will do wonders for him in future jobs as well. That much is clear.
But if there was a little bit more to that... We could only speculate. I'd take a guess and say that there wasn't. But after a summer where everything went Arteta's way (including Vieira being loaned), and a couple of bad results in succession, it's hard not to have a grain of doubt at the back of my mind about the actual story behind Edu's resigning.
Pedro mentions a bunch of shit teams (with all due respect) as proof that DoFs or Sporting Directors aren't ex footballers but doesn't mention Madrid - Santiago Solari, ex player is their DoF and before they've had Zidane, Jorge Valdano working as Sporting Director; Jorge Valdano was also their CEO; Mijatovic, another legend, was their DoF.
Same with City - Sporting Director for 13 years has been Txiki Begiristain and the newly appointed one that will take charge at the end of this season will be Hugo Viana - another player.
Bayern are the extreme example with the likes of Hoeness, Sammer, Salihamidzic and currently Eberl all acted as Sporting CEO, then Nerlinger, Salihamidzic and currently Freund at Sporting Director, obviously Oli Kahn as Chairman/CEO. These guys almost exclusively sign their ex players.
Barca - Sporting Directors include Begiristain, Zubizarreta, Abidal, Robert Fernández, Jordi Cruyff and currently Deco.
PSG - DoF Leonardo, Olivier Letang (ex footballer even if not prominent).
We should be looking at the clubs mentioned above, not at Brighton, Leverkusen, Atalanta, Bologna and Stade Rennais. Clubs that have been winning non stop for decades surely know what they're doing by signing football people as their Sporting Directors and some as their DoF.
The argument for sporting directors at lower levels, is that they’ve learned to punch above their weight…
So what could they do if we gave them better resources in which to operate, in markets that’s weren’t previously available to them?..
Pointing out Madrid, Bayern, PSG, previously Barca.
Isn’t the same thing, because these sporting directors have been operating under entirely different market dynamics, with vastly superior resource.
Real Madrid broadly sign whoever they want, because they’re Real Madrid, particularly in the South American market, where players seem more drawn to Madrid + Barcelona.
What’s considered success for Brighton, Atalanta, Leverkusen, Bologna, isn’t the same as what’s considered success for bigger clubs.
I couldn’t really care less about the background of Edu’s replacement, that’s just semantics, what really matters is their competence.
But can certainly see benefits if they have a track record of identifying and securing elite talent, before they become elite talent.
Rap, Rich covered it nicely - but being a Sporting Director at the richest / most famous clubs and making decisions on whether to spend 100m on a golden hello to Mbappe isn’t really the business Arsenal are in. And are you really going to be Barca Sporting Directors on the list? Barca is basically bankrupt, being propped by their incredible academy and a 38 yr striker. They are exactly what we could never afford to be. We even tried a Barca guy and it was a disaster
Yeah, the Barca guy that wasn't an actual footballer. That's not what I'm vouching for.
Mbappe at 100m isn't but Declan at 100m is? We are within a spitting distance of working at the highest levels. The highest levels have ex footballers in director roles. It's for a reason, surely?!
They know how to accommodate a player, their family, how to make them feel special, exactly the words they need to hear to be swayed to join us ahead of anyone else - cause they've been on the other side. They were the footballer. They know the little things matter, they know how to seduce a player. They know that making them part of a family environment is crucial. Keeping them away from nightclubs but also letting them have fun when they are allowed to.
Also, being in charge of transfers, a footballer would know about the things to look in a player, what the team needs. I'd say sporting directors that have to assemble a squad are closer to managers than suits. It's a case if a guy who's never played football can become a manager - yes but in most cases, managers are ex footballers.
Getting a guy who's been there, done that just has invaluable experience that no one else can relate to. Of course, they have to be good at their jobs but if there's an offer on a job board for Arsenal's new Sporting Director it would 100% have the following line - Preferably with a football background.
Eric Abidal was when Raul was there, explayer, how did that work out?
You're listing out the job of a chief scout or a player liason. Sporting Directors need to understand High Performance, Analytics, Technology, S&C, Academy, budgets, they need to be able to lead functional organizations.
Man City on the football side is run by Ferran Soriano, he is the genius behind City.
United hired Dan Ashworth who turned Brighton into a powerhouse and rebuilt Newcastle.
Liverpool just rehired Michael Edwards as Football CEO, Richard Hughes was a no name player and is their Sporting Director
Paul Winstanley is Sporting Director at Chelsea after moving from Brighton
We don't need a club legend. We are not even close to being able to offer Mbappe 100m golden hello. Arsenal need to find someone who to drive us forward, you're not getting that from anyone with Arsenal ties in the market right now.
Having Edu as Technical and eventually Sporting Director has made me proud. He could show himself as a part of a phenomenal team and talk to the players and their families and welcome them to our family. It was actually like someone inviting guests to their home as this was Edu's home for many years and he's obviously proud of the job he's done here as a footballer.
Would I have the same connection with just another suit? No way.
Ideally, I'd like someone I can connect to but obviously, as long as the club is progressing, everything else is secondary. It's just why having Edu here was very pleasing - club was both progressing and us, fans, had an emotional connection with the managing collective.
Would someone who's never played football be able to convince a player that we are the right step for them? It surely makes a difference at the highest level when Deco, Txiki, Solari, Edu or Leonardo call you compared to a suit you've never seen or heard before.
I find the timing of Edu's departure to be strange. Why would he want to leave so soon? It feels like he has accelerated his departure more than anything else.
There are 2 possibilities here.
Either he was pushed out as he was not strong enough to be a counterweight to Arteta. None of the summer buys were necessary and feel more like Aryeta getting his way unchecked. So the club are looking for someone outside the club that can impose themselves on Arteta.
Or, if he chose to leave, then I don't believe it's just the money that turned his head around. He must have felt that he was not getting his way and that Arteta was increasingly walking over him, so he chose to go somewhere where he would be listened to.
We will see in time what the club does.
One thing that is very clear to me though is, I do not want to see Arteta made kingmaker. He doesn't deserve it at all. Finishing twice 2nd doesn't merit that at all. Wenger at least deserved respect for the trophies he brought, alongside the change in culture he brought in.
All Arteta has done is change the culture and won 1 FA Cup.
I just hope the club appoint a strong DoF with a vision who will tell Arteta to fuck off if he wants to buy another CB instead of a winger.
Having started, run and then sold a company that had almost a 1000 clever white collar workers go through the books my mantra is if you can get 5 years from a star performer you have done well. I am sure Pedro you must have had same experiences!!
It really isn't a big deal.....unless there is a 'situation' occurring that we've seen before.
Think about the timing of this, it comes not long after Arteta signed his new contract! Arteta was hired as head coach originally.....his remit has been extended extensively it appears since his hire. Reports this morning are saying he'll have a big say in who gets appointed......ring any bells?
Yes, Monsieur Wenger. Are Arsenal going the same way with Arteta as they did with Wenger? Giving him too much power.....did Arteta demand more power before signing and has that put Edu's nose out of joint and rendered his position untenable? If Arsenal FC have chosen to go down the route of making Arteta the new 'Dictator' then we could be in real trouble over the next few years. I hope this is not the case but the whole timing of Edu's departure and the speed of it suggests there is/was a problem.
I think Edu is off to new challenge because of summer transfers, there was constant stream of stories about Arteta wanting Merino and a bunch of our senior execs didn't but we bought the Spaniard anyway.
I think Kroenkes are treating Arteta like they did Wenger, full control we are an AKB club and every one else has to work around it, and there would be no job satisfaction for Edu if he just acquiring players he thinks wont help us progress but is being told to buy them anyway.
MAJOR BREAKING! (lol)
Odegaard is back in training.
https://x.com/SkySportsNews/status/1853763759841435833
Yippee ….the savior of Arsenal is back.
I cannot imagine that any other title chasing squad will be dependent on any player like you seem to be suggesting.
Odegaard’s absence is not the reason we lost to Bournemouth, that was Mikel
Odegaard’s absence is not the reason we were abysmally shit at Newcastle, that was the manager
There are bigger factors underlying our poor performances.
He’s back just in time to go and play two games for Norway next week that will probably send him back to the physio.
I'm a bit obsessed with Tomiyasu. I've been for a while.
When Saliba got injured in March 2023 and that fuck also got injured in the same game?
He had only started about 3 or 4 games between January and the middle of March because he missed all of November and December. Then when we needed him when Saliba got injured, madafaka also got injured (in the same game even before Saliba) and that was the end of his season.
The season before (21/22) he got injured in December and came back at the beginning of May. Incredible.
And now, guess what... We've been forced to play someone at RB because Ben White dared miss a record amount of 5 games in his career. Where was Tomiyasu? You got it -> INJURED.
Partey was moved to RB and our midfield instantly felt worse for it.
It all spiraled thanks to a guy collecting a salary for nothing.
Extend him again please. It will be different this time. I promise.
Man fcuk Edu, where are your thoughts on losing to NUFC?? Four pieces on Edu, really?
Even though I am not quick to throw rocks at Arteta, I would speculate that the players we got were by his choice and there was noise about people at the club (hard not to assume Edu here) were not in agreement over the deals of especially Merino and to a lesser extend Calafiori.
The rumors were making rounds and at one point I said I hoped the Merino deal fell through as I think he fits the minimum requirement of an Arsenal player but that's about it. But from what we know, (from Ornstein, Fabrizio etc) Arteta was really pushing for him and in the end he got his man.
For Calafiori a few people in here were pessimistic about because of his god awful history with injuries. I hope he manages to stay fitter in the future, but his first months at Arsenal just confirm what everybody at Arsenal should have expected.
So we've got Raya, Merino, Calafiori and Sterling coming in - tough to not state the obvious that all 4 transfers are Arteta transfers.
Kudos to Edu for getting decent money of our players for the first time in a long ass while but I would question the transfers of Merino and Calafiori. A Sporting Director with no say is not what you want in that position.
I think the duo of Artedu worked wonders, I do believe they were bouncing off ideas of one another but Arteta's rise to power is obvious and while I agree that he should have a big say in the players we're targeting, but there has to be a bit of a balance.
I was vastly against the CEO buying players for the manager like Raul was doing for Emery - a grave mistake. But this feels like balancing at the other side of the spectrum.
Nobody in the world would decline a triple your salary deal and a superb job title that will do wonders for him in future jobs as well. That much is clear.
But if there was a little bit more to that... We could only speculate. I'd take a guess and say that there wasn't. But after a summer where everything went Arteta's way (including Vieira being loaned), and a couple of bad results in succession, it's hard not to have a grain of doubt at the back of my mind about the actual story behind Edu's resigning.
Pedro mentions a bunch of shit teams (with all due respect) as proof that DoFs or Sporting Directors aren't ex footballers but doesn't mention Madrid - Santiago Solari, ex player is their DoF and before they've had Zidane, Jorge Valdano working as Sporting Director; Jorge Valdano was also their CEO; Mijatovic, another legend, was their DoF.
Same with City - Sporting Director for 13 years has been Txiki Begiristain and the newly appointed one that will take charge at the end of this season will be Hugo Viana - another player.
Bayern are the extreme example with the likes of Hoeness, Sammer, Salihamidzic and currently Eberl all acted as Sporting CEO, then Nerlinger, Salihamidzic and currently Freund at Sporting Director, obviously Oli Kahn as Chairman/CEO. These guys almost exclusively sign their ex players.
Barca - Sporting Directors include Begiristain, Zubizarreta, Abidal, Robert Fernández, Jordi Cruyff and currently Deco.
PSG - DoF Leonardo, Olivier Letang (ex footballer even if not prominent).
We should be looking at the clubs mentioned above, not at Brighton, Leverkusen, Atalanta, Bologna and Stade Rennais. Clubs that have been winning non stop for decades surely know what they're doing by signing football people as their Sporting Directors and some as their DoF.
The argument for sporting directors at lower levels, is that they’ve learned to punch above their weight…
So what could they do if we gave them better resources in which to operate, in markets that’s weren’t previously available to them?..
Pointing out Madrid, Bayern, PSG, previously Barca.
Isn’t the same thing, because these sporting directors have been operating under entirely different market dynamics, with vastly superior resource.
Real Madrid broadly sign whoever they want, because they’re Real Madrid, particularly in the South American market, where players seem more drawn to Madrid + Barcelona.
What’s considered success for Brighton, Atalanta, Leverkusen, Bologna, isn’t the same as what’s considered success for bigger clubs.
I couldn’t really care less about the background of Edu’s replacement, that’s just semantics, what really matters is their competence.
But can certainly see benefits if they have a track record of identifying and securing elite talent, before they become elite talent.
And also recognising when to dump a player.
Rap, Rich covered it nicely - but being a Sporting Director at the richest / most famous clubs and making decisions on whether to spend 100m on a golden hello to Mbappe isn’t really the business Arsenal are in. And are you really going to be Barca Sporting Directors on the list? Barca is basically bankrupt, being propped by their incredible academy and a 38 yr striker. They are exactly what we could never afford to be. We even tried a Barca guy and it was a disaster
Yeah, the Barca guy that wasn't an actual footballer. That's not what I'm vouching for.
Mbappe at 100m isn't but Declan at 100m is? We are within a spitting distance of working at the highest levels. The highest levels have ex footballers in director roles. It's for a reason, surely?!
They know how to accommodate a player, their family, how to make them feel special, exactly the words they need to hear to be swayed to join us ahead of anyone else - cause they've been on the other side. They were the footballer. They know the little things matter, they know how to seduce a player. They know that making them part of a family environment is crucial. Keeping them away from nightclubs but also letting them have fun when they are allowed to.
Also, being in charge of transfers, a footballer would know about the things to look in a player, what the team needs. I'd say sporting directors that have to assemble a squad are closer to managers than suits. It's a case if a guy who's never played football can become a manager - yes but in most cases, managers are ex footballers.
Getting a guy who's been there, done that just has invaluable experience that no one else can relate to. Of course, they have to be good at their jobs but if there's an offer on a job board for Arsenal's new Sporting Director it would 100% have the following line - Preferably with a football background.
Eric Abidal was when Raul was there, explayer, how did that work out?
You're listing out the job of a chief scout or a player liason. Sporting Directors need to understand High Performance, Analytics, Technology, S&C, Academy, budgets, they need to be able to lead functional organizations.
Man City on the football side is run by Ferran Soriano, he is the genius behind City.
United hired Dan Ashworth who turned Brighton into a powerhouse and rebuilt Newcastle.
Liverpool just rehired Michael Edwards as Football CEO, Richard Hughes was a no name player and is their Sporting Director
Paul Winstanley is Sporting Director at Chelsea after moving from Brighton
We don't need a club legend. We are not even close to being able to offer Mbappe 100m golden hello. Arsenal need to find someone who to drive us forward, you're not getting that from anyone with Arsenal ties in the market right now.
Having Edu as Technical and eventually Sporting Director has made me proud. He could show himself as a part of a phenomenal team and talk to the players and their families and welcome them to our family. It was actually like someone inviting guests to their home as this was Edu's home for many years and he's obviously proud of the job he's done here as a footballer.
Would I have the same connection with just another suit? No way.
Ideally, I'd like someone I can connect to but obviously, as long as the club is progressing, everything else is secondary. It's just why having Edu here was very pleasing - club was both progressing and us, fans, had an emotional connection with the managing collective.
Would someone who's never played football be able to convince a player that we are the right step for them? It surely makes a difference at the highest level when Deco, Txiki, Solari, Edu or Leonardo call you compared to a suit you've never seen or heard before.
I find the timing of Edu's departure to be strange. Why would he want to leave so soon? It feels like he has accelerated his departure more than anything else.
There are 2 possibilities here.
Either he was pushed out as he was not strong enough to be a counterweight to Arteta. None of the summer buys were necessary and feel more like Aryeta getting his way unchecked. So the club are looking for someone outside the club that can impose themselves on Arteta.
Or, if he chose to leave, then I don't believe it's just the money that turned his head around. He must have felt that he was not getting his way and that Arteta was increasingly walking over him, so he chose to go somewhere where he would be listened to.
We will see in time what the club does.
One thing that is very clear to me though is, I do not want to see Arteta made kingmaker. He doesn't deserve it at all. Finishing twice 2nd doesn't merit that at all. Wenger at least deserved respect for the trophies he brought, alongside the change in culture he brought in.
All Arteta has done is change the culture and won 1 FA Cup.
I just hope the club appoint a strong DoF with a vision who will tell Arteta to fuck off if he wants to buy another CB instead of a winger.
Having started, run and then sold a company that had almost a 1000 clever white collar workers go through the books my mantra is if you can get 5 years from a star performer you have done well. I am sure Pedro you must have had same experiences!!
That means a bunch of our players will be off soon then because many are 4, 5 yrs into this project and no joy so far.
♥️
It really isn't a big deal.....unless there is a 'situation' occurring that we've seen before.
Think about the timing of this, it comes not long after Arteta signed his new contract! Arteta was hired as head coach originally.....his remit has been extended extensively it appears since his hire. Reports this morning are saying he'll have a big say in who gets appointed......ring any bells?
Yes, Monsieur Wenger. Are Arsenal going the same way with Arteta as they did with Wenger? Giving him too much power.....did Arteta demand more power before signing and has that put Edu's nose out of joint and rendered his position untenable? If Arsenal FC have chosen to go down the route of making Arteta the new 'Dictator' then we could be in real trouble over the next few years. I hope this is not the case but the whole timing of Edu's departure and the speed of it suggests there is/was a problem.
Would never know except insiders... but at least when Wenger seized /was given the power, we had the PL double , invincibles, etc to brag about
Pretty much my thoughts.. I respect Arteta, but don't think it is wise/desirable to make him Wenger 2.0.