Five potential Arsenal sporting director replacements as Mikel Arteta dealt Edu curveball

Arsenal have approached a crossroads following Edu Gaspar's resignation, and . The 46-year-old left the Brazilian Football Confederation to become the Gunners' first technical director in July 2019.

He was initially brought in to work closely with the first team, overseeing recruitment to ensure 'efficient strengthening' of Mikel Arteta's squad. Edu, who previously spent five seasons at the Emirates Stadium as a player, , was later given a promotion.

In this role, , in addition to his existing responsibilities. During his spell in North London, he welcomed the likes of Martin Odegaard, William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães to the Emirates Stadium.

But, Edu also signed his fair share of flops too. but, unfortunately for Arteta, a large majority of the big-name leading sporting directors have recently started high-profile jobs, so luring them away could prove difficult.

This leaves the Gunners scrambling for options ahead of . With that being said, football.london has looked at five avenues that Arsenal could explore to replace Edu.

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Leonardo – Free Agent

After forking out hundreds of millions on new players in recent years, the North Londoners may be keen to delve into the free agent market. As aforementioned, lots of the so-called leading sporting directors have taken up big jobs in the last year or so, so buying them out of their contract could cost a pretty penny.

Leonardo would be a good candidate for the sporting director role at Arsenal. The 55-year-old has been without a job since stepping down as director of football at Paris Saint-Germain in May 2022.

He enjoyed spells as a technical director for AC Milan in the past too. Leonardo may not be the perfect fit for the Gunners, but the Brazilian is one of just a few big-names available in the free agent market.

Ralf Rangnick – Austria

Alternatively, Arsenal could roll the dice on Ralf Rangnick, who's currently the head coach for Austria. In an ideal world, the Gunners secure his services on a full-time basis, but he could always juggle his international role with a domestic position – similarly to what he did at Manchester United for a short period.

Rangnick would be an excellent addition. He'd also bring tremendous experience and wisdom to the Emirates Stadium – which could be what the club, who have a relatively young coaching team, needs.

Phil Giles – Brentford

While Edu managed to wrap up shrewd deals for the likes of Odegaard, Saliba and Gabriel, he also forked out an eye-watering £65m for Kai Havertz. The Brazilian's recruitment has raised eyebrows at times, so if Arsenal want to transform their approach they should take a look at Phil Giles at Brentford.

The 48-year-old has played a crucial role in the Bees' meteoric rise to the Premier League. During his time at the G-Tech Community Stadium, Brentford signed the likes of Ivan Toney, Bryan Mbuemo, David Raya, Ezri Konsa and Ollie Watkins, among other huge coups.

Monchi – Aston Villa

Shortly before appointing Edu as the club's first technical director, Arsenal tried to wrap up a deal for Monchi. Despite the Gunners' best efforts, he decided to return to Sevilla.

Monchi ended his playing career at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium in 1999 and, a year later, he was appointed sporting director. The 56-year-old enjoyed 17 years in the boardroom before taking up a similar role at AS Roma.

He spent two years in the Italian capital before snubbing Arsenal in favour of a return to Sevilla. As quoted by , Monchi said: "I thank Arsenal for their interest.

"It has been the club that has shown the most interest in me but, in the end, I evaluated all of the offers I had on the table and I chose the one that convinced me most.

"I had other options, and very important ones that were flashier, but I've chosen Sevilla because its sporting project convinced me. I want to thank everyone that contributed to my return to what I consider to be my home."

Then, last year, Monchi reunited with Unai Emery at Aston Villa, having previously worked closely with the former Arsenal boss at Sevilla. The transfer chief has played a crucial role in transforming the Villains into a Champions League outfit, making him a natural replacement for Edu, though luring him away from Villa Park may be tough.

Txiki Begiristain – Retired

In a last-ditch effort to replace Edu, Arsenal could try to poach Txiki Begiristain. The 60-year-old, who is expected to retire after turning 60 in August, will leave Manchester City after 12 years at the Etihad Stadium.

He will be replaced by Hugo Viana from Sporting CP. Begiristain was instrumental in bring Pep Guardiola to the Premier League in 2016, and he armed the Spaniard with some of the greatest signings in history.

Despite criticism at the time, Kevin De Bruyne proved to be an incredible acquisition – not to mention the countless other top signings. While it's unlikely that Begiristain would join a direct rival, he'd be a top – albeit short-term – replacement for Edu.