Arsenal Football Club is reportedly planning to appoint a new sporting director to take over from Edu Gaspar in the coming weeks. Edu Gaspar departed from his role last November after serving the club for five years. He initially joined as the first-ever technical director in 2019 before being promoted to sporting director in 2022.
It is anticipated that Edu will join Evangelos Marinakis’ new sports group, which includes Nottingham Forest, Olympiacos, and Rio Ave.
According to reports, Arsenal is actively searching for Edu’s replacement and is narrowing down a list of potential candidates before making a final decision.
Among the individuals being considered for the sporting director role are Dan Ashworth, Andrea Berta, Roberto Olabe, and Thiago Scuro.
Jason Ayto, Arsenal’s interim sporting director who stepped up after Edu’s exit, is also reportedly in contention.
Luis Campos, currently a strategic advisor at Paris Saint-Germain, was initially mentioned as a potential candidate but is not currently under consideration.
Arsenal’s ownership group, KSE, is deeply involved in the selection process, and their approval will be necessary before any appointment is finalized.
Dan Ashworth recently became available after leaving Manchester United in December, just five months after joining. Before his stint at Manchester United, he achieved considerable success at Brighton and Newcastle, where he was responsible for the signings of players like Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon.
Jason Ayto has been with Arsenal for ten years, serving as Edu’s assistant for the past two years. He played a significant role in the negotiations that led to the signings of Mikel Merino and Riccardo Calafiori last summer.
Andrea Berta was a key figure in Atletico Madrid’s success, contributing to their La Liga title and Champions League contention during his 12-year tenure with manager Diego Simeone. He recently left Atletico Madrid last month. Berta was instrumental in signing players such as Antoine Griezmann and Jan Oblak and has reportedly been learning English with an eye towards working in the Premier League.
Roberto Olabe is expected to resign from his position as sporting director at Real Sociedad this summer. During his seven years at Real Sociedad, he oversaw the signings of players like Merino, Isak, Martin Odegaard, and David Silva. He also facilitated deals with Arsenal for Kieran Tierney and Nacho Monreal.
Thiago Scuro has been with Monaco since 2023, where he was promoted to CEO after contributing to the club’s second-place finish last season, their highest since 2018.
Marcus Bellamy