Arsenal Edu love-in is RIDICULOUS and Liverpool fans know it

Maybe I’m missing something with Edu. He’s leaving his position as Arsenal sporting director but I find the fawning over him ridiculous.

He was originally the technical director, changing jobs in 2022 to gain extra responsibilities around the club.

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And what is a sporting director supposed to do exactly? Ideally sign the right players to a) make a team successful or b) sell on for profit. I don’t think Edu has managed either throughout his five years at Arsenal all truth told.

Arsenal have steadied themselves after the Wengerian malaise they suffered around the end of the great man’s reign but they are probably no better off now than they were under Wenger when fans were complaining about a lack of success.

You'd expect MORE

He had them in the Champions League every season - bar his last couple - and gave them plenty of cup success even in the dog days of his tenure. Given the money spent by Edu and Mikel Arteta, you’d expect more.

The sums they have lavished are extraordinary. Seven of Arsenal’s 10 most expensive transfers of all time have come under Edu. Those include Nicolas Pepe, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus and Thomas Partey. That record speaks for itself.

And I’m sorry but even their most expensive player, Declan Rice, doesn’t do enough to warrant the praise. Aside from William Saliba, Gabriel and Martin Odegaard, the jury is out on practically all of Arsenal’s big-money signings and I’m not even that big a fan of Odegaard either.

Arsenal overpay for average players

Arsenal have won NOTHING under Edu since the FA Cup in 2020 - unless you count the Community Shield - but have been among the top-spending clubs in the entire world. They have overpaid for average players and elsewhere signed the wrong ones altogether.

I’ll pick just a few.

Consider the mess they have made over their goalkeeper position, splurging good money after bad on Aaron Ramsdale (ultimately sold to Southampton at a loss) and David Raya. Then consider they actually had one of the best goalkeepers in the world on their books in Emi Martinez and they punted him to Aston Villa for a knockdown fee.

That alone should blot any sporting director’s record.

What the hell are Arsenal up to?

But the list of duds goes on. Oleksandr Zinchenko, Raheem Sterling. David Luiz, Willian. They signed Fabio Vieira and in return Porto got €35 million and… Fabio Vieira.

I mean, what the hell are Arsenal up to? And why are we impressed by this?

For the money spent by Arteta and Edu, you’d simply EXPECT them to make the top four at the very minimum. And here they are with a very uneven squad, heavily reliant on set-pieces and without any sort of consistent goalscorer.

Their form is regressing to the mean this season after a couple of seasons of ‘overachievement’ if you can call it that.

Contrast with Liverpool

I just don’t get it. You can contrast this to Liverpool, who have had four sporting directors in the time Arsenal have had Edu. There have been misses, yes, and the jury is still out on other signings.

Also the situation regarding Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold has been allowed to fester. But look at the likes of Ibrahima Konate, Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister. You could buy those three for around the price of one Declan Rice.

Look at how the investments in Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo are paying off. Liverpool have acquired good habits in the transfer market no matter the identity of the sporting director.

I just don't get it

But not only that, in appointing a head coach like Arne Slot, Liverpool have committed to making their players BETTER. Arsenal either pay to get rid of their underperformers or sell them for bargain fees.

Where is the coaching?

Where are Arteta and Edu’s success stories on how to improve the players already on the books? Again, I just don’t see it. This Arsenal team and the club as a whole don’t do anything for me. They are no great shakes.

They finished runners-up twice but are nowhere near Manchester City - nor Liverpool for that matter - when the chips are down. Edu’s legacy will be taking Arsenal back to where Wenger had them with nearly a billion quid spent.

I just don’t see the fuss.

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