Former Arsenal sporting director Edu has taken on a new role as senior advisor to Northampton Town, who sit 23rd in League Two. The Brazilian will combine the position with his existing role as a member of the board of directors at Bulgarian side Levski Sofia.
Edu was instrumental in Arsenal's recent resurgence, hiring Mikel Arteta and backing the Spaniard in the transfer market. He left north London last year to join Evangelos Marinakis' group of clubs, including Nottingham Forest, but that move ended prematurely.
Move to Northampton Confirmed
The role was confirmed by Northampton's co-chair Joao Xavier during an open forum on Thursday. Xavier said: "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."
Xavier added: "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."
New Challenges Ahead
Northampton, nicknamed the Cobblers, have recently been taken over by a Brazilian consortium including former Chelsea and AC Milan star Alexandre Pato. The club have won two of their 10 games this season and face the prospect of relegation to the National League.
During his time at Arsenal, Edu oversaw several landmark deals, including the club-record signing of Declan Rice from West Ham. Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber were also signed under his watch as Arsenal became one of the best teams in Europe.
Northampton have jumped between the third and fourth tiers of the pyramid for years but have not been a non-league outfit for more than a century. Edu now faces new challenges at a club of far lesser stature than Arsenal.
