Edu leaving Arsenal: Five Chelsea rejects included in ranking of every signing made under Brazilian
Edu Gaspar is leaving his role as Arsenal sporting director, leaving a huge void in the club’s recruitment team, which has been very efficient in recent years.
With the former Gunners midfielder reportedly set to move on, perhaps to Nottingham Forest, we have ranked all 35 of his signings since joining the club as a director.
Arsenal: Every Edu signing ranked from worst to best
35) Willian (free)
Edu brought Willian in on astronomical wages from London rivals Chelsea. He scored once in 37 appearances for Arsenal, costing the club a fortune before generously agreeing to terminate his contract in August 2021. Willian is one of many Brazilians to play for the Gunners during Edu’s reign.
34) Alex Runarsson (£1.8m)
Runarsson is probably better with his feet than with his hands which, for a goalkeeper, is not ideal.
33) Pablo Mari (£5.4m + £7.2m loan fee)
Mari was only signed because he is left-footed – and for an extortionate loan fee.
32) Mathew Ryan (loan)
A decent back-up goalkeeper, Ryan spent the second half of 2020/21 at the Emirates. He made three appearances and joined Real Sociedad after his spell in north London.
31) Marquinhos (£2.6m)
The teenage Brazilian was signed for next to nothing after being in talks with Wolves. We have no idea where he is now.
30) Nicolas Pepe (£72m)
Pepe scored 27 goals and claimed 21 assists in 112 matches for the Gunners and was heavily criticised for his performances, mainly because of his transfer fee. That price tag definitely held him back. A £72m fee will always bring more scrutiny, unfortunately for the Ivorian.
29) Albert Sambi Lokonga (£15.75m)
Lokonga joined in the summer of 2021 with high hopes. He struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League but proved his worth during a season-long loan spell with Luton Town. He’s left for Sevilla on loan with an option to buy, which is not going to plan.
28) Nuno Tavares (£7m)
Hauled off after 30 minutes against then-Championship side Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup. Taken off at half-time against Crystal Palace. Being dropped as central midfielder Granit Xhaka filled in at left-back. Tavares had a rough debut season at Arsenal.
After a decent season on loan at Marseille, Tavares joined Nottingham Forest for 23/24. He is now at Lazio with Matteo Guendouzi, where it most certainly is going to plan. In eight Serie A appearances this season, he has eight assists. Honest.
27) Matt Turner (£5.7m)
Turner was Aaron Ramsdale’s back-up for one year before joining Nottingham Forest, whose addiction to signing goalkeepers is A Problem.
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26) Neto (loan)
A cup goalkeeper ineligible to play in the Carabao Cup for Arsenal. Hmm.
25) Dani Ceballos (loan)
There were high hopes after Arsenal signed a player who ran the show as Spain came out victorious at the 2019 Under-21 European Championships. Ceballos failed to live up to the hype with Gunners fans happy to see the back of him after a two-year loan.
24) Auston Trusty (£1.6m)
Arsenal made a tidy £3.3m profit when Trusty was sold to Sheffield United in the 2023 summer transfer window.
23) Cedric Soares (free)
Signed on loan and then offered a contract before kicking a ball, Cedric failed to endear himself to the club’s fans with his performances. His ranking here is respectable after performing well in Takehiro Tomiyasu’s frequent absence in 21/22.
22) Fabio Vieira (£30.4m)
The Portuguese playmaker signed for the Gunners out of the blue and has struggled for game time. There is potential there and Vieira had a few important cameos off the bench in the first half of last season. He is now on loan at his former club FC Porto. Sell or keep? Arsenal’s intentions next summer are unknown.
21) Raheem Sterling (loan)
The finances involved make it hard for Arsenal to be losers here. Sterling adds valuable experience and ability to the Gunners’ attack but he is not the player we once knew. This latest Chelsea reject was Edu’s final signing, which is very fitting.
20) Jakub Kiwior (£22.3m)
Kiwior could not get game time over Rob Holding after William Saliba picked up an injury during the run-in two seasons ago, which made fans think he might be rubbish. He isn’t, though. If he had started instead of Holding against Liverpool, West Ham, Southampton and Manchester City, would Arsenal have won the Premier League in 22/23? Perhaps.
There was a strong chance Kiwior would leave in the summer but Arteta did not want to lose him.
19) Mikel Merino (£31.6m)
New signings are very hard to judge and we do not want to do the men ranked above Merino a disservice. The Spanish midfielder is a top player and a Euro 2024 winner but a little older than the sort of player Arsenal have signed for big money under Arteta. He could easily force his way into this top 10 in 24/25.
18) David Luiz (£7.8m)
Luiz divided opinion during his Arsenal career. From red cards against Manchester City and Wolves to masterclasses in the 2020 FA Cup semi-final and final to help his side win the trophy, nobody went from a world beater to completely shocking overnight quite like the Brazilian. We have a lot of respect for what he did at the Emirates, though.
17) Takehiro Tomiyasu (£16.7m)
“Tomiyasu was offered to most clubs in the Premier League. He’s a good player but the problem is he’s not really a right-back, nor is he a central defender. I’m not sure how he will get on at Arsenal.”
Egg on your face, Kaveh Solhekol. Tomiyasu is solid, versatile and very two-footed. His injury proneness is a big worry though. He only has a handful of minutes played this term.
Tomiyasu being 17th is perhaps harsh, but he is made of glass and at least shows how good Arsenal’s business has been over the last three years.
16) Oleksandr Zinchenko (£30.4m)
Zinchenko brought his leadership skills from Manchester City to Arsenal to help them become title contenders in 22/23. But the Gunners have quickly outgrown him.
15) Gabriel Jesus (£45.5m)
One of two players to come into the Arsenal team before 22/23 and transform them into title contenders, Jesus, like Zinchenko, brought City’s winning mentality to the Emirates and made them a serious team once again.
Jesus’ overall play is fantastic but his lack of conviction is worrying. Like with Zinchenko, Arsenal have simply outgrown him. A little too fast for their liking.
14) Riccardo Calafiori (£42m)
Calafiori’s desperation to play for Arsenal made this a fairly straightforward deal, excluding some sell-on arguments between Bologna and FC Basel.
The Italian is a giant man but has the technical ability of a left-back, which is where Arteta wants him to play. His ability with the ball has surprised us but we have not been surprised by his comfortable defending in the Premier League.
13) Thomas Partey (£45m)
Partey has been vital for Arsenal when fit, which is not often enough. His fitness has not been an issue this season, though. With less than 12 months left on his contract, no less. How convenient.
12) Kieran Tierney (£24.3m)
The Scottish left-back’s injury record will always let him down, though it has afforded him another chance this season after being too crocked to be sold. Tierney missed 23 games in his debut season, 11 in 20/21 and 13 in 21/22.
He was second when we first made this list! What has Arteta done to this club?
11) Jurrien Timber (£34.6m)
Versatile, proven in Europe and internationally, Timber did not cost an extraordinary fee and vastly improves Arsenal’s defensive depth. An ACL injury on his competitive debut was a huge blow but he is back and Like A New Signing.
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10) Aaron Ramsdale (£25m)
Ramsdale added a new dimension to the Arsenal team when signed from Sheffield United. He was fantastic before being dislodged by David Raya at the start of last season.
Despite losing his place and joining Southampton in August, Ramsdale was a clever signing for a respectable price. He was written off by a lot of the club’s ‘fans’ before officially joining but quickly silenced his critics. For a bit anyway.
9) Jorginho (£10m)
Arsenal signed Jorginho instead of Moises Caicedo, which made him public enemy number one when he initially joined. As an underwhelming alternative and another Chelsea player, the Italian was able to win over his doubters and has proven himself to be a vital player, both on and off the pitch. We see Jorginho joining Arteta’s coaching staff when he hangs up his boots.
8) Kai Havertz (£64.8m)
‘Quite what Mikel Arteta has seen from Kai Havertz at Chelsea to justify spending that kind of money on him is beyond nearly everyone. On the flip side, Arteta has built the trust of the Arsenal fan base and has earned the right to take a chance or two in the transfer market. He has taken a big one on Havertz, whose every touch in red and white is going to be analysed and critiqued. The pressure is on both the player and manager here.’
This is what I wrote in September 2022 and with Havertz struggling in the Arsenal midfield in his opening months at the club, the doubters’ doubts were strengthened. When Arteta moved the German up front – a position in which he looked lost for Chelsea – it all changed. His form up there has been ridiculous.
So ridiculous that Arteta decided not to sign a new striker this summer. His form is again coming under fire. Will Arsenal swallow their pride and spend big on a new No. 9 in January?
7) David Raya (£27m + £3m loan fee)
Turns out Arteta and Edu know what they are doing. Arsenal fans are not going to doubt their manager again after he was proven right in the Raya/Ramsdale debacle. Oh, and with Havertz. Ish.
He owed a huge debt to the defence in front of him, but Raya’s Golden Glove was vindication.
6) Benjamin White (£52m)
The transfer fee raised many eyebrows, with many laughing at Arsenal for paying more for White than Manchester United did for Raphael Varane. Who’s laughing now, huh? Just imagine how good he would be if he was ‘sufficiently interested in football’.
5) Leandro Trossard (£21.4m)
Arsenal saw an opportunity with Trossard after missing out on Mykhaylo Mudryk and capitalised on an expiring contract to bring him in for a very respectable fee in January 2023.
We all knew Trossard was a good player but did not expect him to contribute quite so much to Arsenal. He has that clutch gene in him, for sure, scoring huge goals against Porto, Bayern Munich, Everton, Chelsea, Burnley, Liverpool, Wolves, Manchester United and Leicester City. Clutch indeed.
4) Gabriel Magalhaes (£23.4m)
Signed for more than his left foot, Gabriel is an excellent player and formed a terrific partnership with Benjamin White in 21/22 before doing so once again with William Saliba over the last two-and-a-bit seasons. A little over £23m is a right bargain, too.
Is there a better centre-back partnership in club football than Gabriel and William Saliba? Probably not…
3) Declan Rice (£101m)
The fact Rice is only third shows just how impressive Arsenal’s recruitment has been.
His debut season at the Emirates was everything Arsenal fans dreamed and more. His ridiculous consistency and ability both on and off the ball exceeded expectations. There are not many footballers who can justify costing over £100m but Rice has done so in one year. It is now up to him to continue his form and get even better.
2) William Saliba (£27m)
Edu’s first signing at Arsenal was a corker.
Gabriel Martinelli was announced as an Arsenal player a week before Edu’s arrival and while he was unlikely to have a massive part in signing Saliba, he was in the job over a fortnight, so this transfer qualifies.
Arsenal fans were very anxious about Saliba’s future in the summer of 2022 after an outstanding year on loan at Marseille. He was yet to make a competitive appearance for the Gunners and was being linked with an exit. Thankfully, Arteta made him a crucial player for the 2022/23 campaign and neither player or manager have looked back. He is a world-class player.
1) Martin Odegaard (£31.5m + £1.8m loan fee)
In the modern market, £33m for Martin Odegaard is bloody ridiculous. He is the very best of a stellar bunch bought under Edu’s leadership.
Norway and Arsenal captain Odegaard is the heartbeat of Arteta’s team and the sky is the limit. What a gem Arsenal have on their hands.
