Why will Edu's new technical director be Arsenal's most important signing this summer?

Arsenal may have been silent during the transfer window but he made an important out-of-the-field appointment with former player Edu Gaspar returning to the club in a technical director role.

The 41-year-old sealed his visit to North London less than 48 hours after being involved behind the scenes in the success of the Copa America in Brazil – his first major trophy in 12 years.

The arrival of Edu means that Arsenal's search for a successor to former head of recruitment, Sven Mislintat, finally came to an end about five months after the Germans left the frustrations over the club's transfer approach. .

The former Brazilian international will have a general role in the UAE: he will lead the club's recruiting strategy, apply a first team's playing philosophy to youth settlement and create a clear development path for the best players in the world. the club academy.

This is what Arsenal fans can expect from their new technical director.

Return of an 'Invincible'

Edu's career has certainly been cyclical, both since he's played and since he retired in 2010. Born in Sao Paulo, Edu started with Corinthians, ended his player days and took his first post after retirement at the club. also in 2011.

Of the four teams represented by Edu as a player – Corinthians, Arsenal, Valencia and the Brazilian national team – he now has a place in the background for three of them, with Valencia the extraordinary.

During a career that lasted a dozen years, Edu enjoyed a four and a half year period with Arsenal between 2001 and 2005, during which he helped the club win two titles in Premier League and two FA Cups at the Golden Age. of the mandate of Arsène Wenger.

Despite a slow start to Arsenal and mainly a second role alongside Patrick Vieira and Gilberto Silva, Edu played a leading role in Arsenal's "Invincible" season in 2003-04, making 30 Premier appearances League.

Upon his return to the club that he left as a player 14 years ago, Edu told Arsenal's official website: "Arsenal has always had a special place in my heart and I am pleased to return to this great club with this new role. .

"We have a strong team and very talented young players with fantastic people at all levels. I can not wait to help make a difference. "

Aftercare career at Corinthians

Edu's second coming to the Corinthians was broken by an injury. He retired at a relatively young age of 32 years. Nevertheless, Edu clearly impressed his employers: just seven months after hanging up, he was appointed director of the football club.

Corinthians, historically one of Brazil's most titled clubs, has won two of his seven titles in Serie A from Edu's time as football director, a third after a year after he left for a job in the United States. Brazilian national team in 2017. Copa Libertadores coveted for the first and only time in its history in 2012.

Although Edu was given unprecedented financial support to join Alexandre Pato, Renato Augusto and Peru striker Paulo Guerrero, among the European clubs, he was also responsible for the discovery of treasures of small South American teams.

The signatures of central defenders Gil, Fabian Balbuena (now West Ham) and Felipe, who has just joined Atletico Madrid since FC Porto, have all been successful, the trio making a big profit, while Paulinho , signed before Edu's return, was sold for a club record £ 17m in Spurs under his watch.

The Corinthians' academy has also flourished over the past five years at Edu as football director, with talents such as Malcom – who has often been badociated with a transfer to Barcelona's Arsenal this summer – the central defender PSG Marquinhos and the left-back of Sevilla Guilherme Arana.

National service

Impressed during his role at Corinthians, Edu was appointed coordinator of the Brazilian national team in 2016, which allowed him to find the former Corinthians coach, Titus.

Edu and Tite have built strong working relationships. The technical director of Arsenal said about their relationship last year (via the Telegraph): "All the decisions I take outside the technical field, I think with his head. That's why we get along well.

"Tite is thinking about the essence of this project, which is on the ground, and I think about what is essential. I do the work that he does not like with his head. We decided everything together. We joked about it. There are times when he is the boss. In others, I am the boss. '

The two men contributed to Brazil's reappearance as a major force after the country's darkest hour in 2014, with Selecao leading the South American qualifying section for last summer's World Cup, before winning the Copa America.

Arsenal supporters and board members hope that Edu will be able to build such a productive relationship with Unai Emery – his former manager in Valencia – at Arsenal.

What can Arsenal expect?

The last few years have been difficult for Arsenal and the prospects for this summer have not seemed much more optimistic given the club's high profile financial restrictions.

Emery is working with a significantly reduced transfer budget of around 45 million pounds, which is problematic given the need for Arsenal to strengthen considerably in defense, central midfield and largely in sight of next season.

Not being able to shell out huge sums on established stars could force Arsenal to be more creative in the transfer market. Edu gave the green light to the club to engage striker Gabriel Martinelli, 18, from Itano, fourth in Brazil.

This agreement could prove to be a sign of the future if Arsenal strengthens its recruitment workload in South America. This is a region that the club has barely touched in recent years, but Edu's experience and know-how could lead to a change of approach.

Apart from recruiting, Edu is likely to defend an attractive playing style, such as the one in which he was involved as a player at the height of the Wenger years, in the Arsenal youth setup.

If Edu managed to give Arsenal's recruiting strategy the necessary overhaul for some time and lay the groundwork for the club's top emerging talents and establish a solid relationship with Emery, it could prove a indispensable complement.