Former Arsenal sporting director Edu Gaspar joins Nottingham Forest in new role

Former Arsenal sporting director Edu has joined Nottingham Forest in a newly established global head of football role.

Forest said the Brazilian will "oversee all football-related functions, including recruitment, performance, squad strategy and player development".

Edu, 47, played for Arsenal between 2001 and 2005, winning two Premier League titles, and rejoined them in 2019 as technical director.

He was promoted to sporting director in November 2022 but resigned in November 2024.

"I'm truly excited about this new chapter and honoured by the trust placed in me," said Edu.

"This project connects deeply with my values around innovation and long-term planning. I look forward to building a global football model that is competitive, sustainable, and aligned with our president's [Evangelos Marinakis] ambition."

Forest owner Marinakis also controls Greek team Olympiakos as well as Portuguese club Rio Ave, and confirmed last December that he had been in talks to purchase Brazilian side Vasco da Gama.

Edu, who also played for Valencia and had two spells at Corinthians, joined the latter as director of football in 2011 and served as Brazil national team's general coordinator from 2016 to 2019.

At Arsenal, the former Brazil midfielder played a key role in recruiting manager Mikel Arteta, with the Gunners going on to win the FA Cup during the Spaniard's first season.

While major silverware has eluded them since, Edu was widely credited with helping transform the club into genuine title challengers once again.