Ex-Arsenal sporting director Edu takes advisory role at relegation-threatened Northampton

Former Arsenal sporting director Edu has taken on a senior advisory role at Northampton Town, the League Two club sitting 23rd in the fourth tier and facing the threat of relegation to non-league football for the first time in over a century.

The appointment was confirmed by Northampton co-chair Joao Xavier at an open forum on Thursday. Xavier explained that the relationship developed through Edu’s time at Nottingham Forest: “Edu is a senior advisor for one of our partners, acting as an advisor for Levski Sofia and also here, helping us navigate the sporting questions here at the club, not day to day, just when we ask him and when we need him.”

Edu left Arsenal in late 2024 to join Evangelos Marinakis’ multi-club network, which includes Nottingham Forest — a move he had cited as an opportunity to work within a modern multi-club model. That arrangement did not last, and he was quickly moved on from the City Ground. He subsequently joined the board of directors at Bulgarian club Levski Sofia, a role he will continue alongside his new responsibilities at Northampton.

Northampton have recently been acquired by a Brazilian consortium that includes former Chelsea and AC Milan forward Alexandre Pato. Xavier spoke warmly of both arrivals: “We are very proud to have Alex [Pato] with us and Edu with us too. We became friends as he had a role at Nottingham Forest and I asked him to help me learn more about English football.”

Edu’s departure from Arsenal surprised many at the club. During his tenure as sporting director, he was instrumental in hiring Mikel Arteta and backing him in the transfer market, overseeing a sustained rise that turned the Gunners into consistent title challengers. His most notable deals included the club-record acquisition of Declan Rice from West Ham, as well as the signings of Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz, and Jurrien Timber. Arsenal’s upward trajectory has continued in his absence.

The contrast with his new environment could hardly be starker. Northampton have yo-yoed between the third and fourth tiers for years and now find themselves in a precarious position early in the season. Whether Edu’s experience at the highest level of European football can help stabilise a club fighting to preserve its Football League status remains to be seen.