How will Arteta manage without influential Edu?

Arsenal need smooth transition between eras just like Man City

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The resignation of Arsenal's sporting director Edu on Monday appeared to catch most at the club by surprise. As recently as mid-September, when Arsenal announced a new long-term contract for head coach Mikel Arteta, Edu spoke about his "strong belief in what we want to achieve together" and, as one of the 'Invincibles', he felt far more emotionally invested in the club than your average ambitious executive. He is, however, set for an enormously lucrative role in charge of the network of clubs owned by Greek magnate Evangelos Marinakis, which include Nottingham Forest.

Edu's departure has to go down as a major hiccup in Arsenal's otherwise seamless upward trajectory over the past few years. Like any high-profile figure in the elite game, Edu has occasionally divided opinion but it is hard to make a case that he has done anything but an outstanding job since returning to north London as technical director in July 2019.