11 Arsenal sporting director candidates to replace Edu

After losing Edu Gaspar at the end of 2024, Arsenal are still on the search for a new full-time sporting director at the Emirates Stadium.

The Brazilian resigned from his Gunners role to take up a position alongside Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis, who also owns Olympiacos and Rio Ave.

The man tasked to fill in for Edu on an interim basis is Jason Ayto, who first joined Arsenal back in 2014 as a scout. But who could the Gunners bring in on a full-time basis as their new sporting director to work closely with manager Mikel Arteta?

Recent reports have claimed that Arsenal are starting to whittle down their options, with a March appointment thought to be likely:

Here, we’ve looked at a number of names the Gunners could target.

1

Roberto Olabe

Real Sociedad

There were claims late in 2024 that Arsenal were in advanced talks to bring Roberto Olabe to north London.

The Real Sociedad sporting director is on course to leave the club at the end of the current season after joining back in 2018. During that time, he played a part in signing Alexander Isak, who is now starring at Newcastle United, and Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard, who was on loan at Sociedad from Real Madrid.

2

Tomas Rosicky

Sparta Prague

Former Arsenal midfielder Tomas Rosicky has also been linked with a return to north London to fill the gap left by Edu. Currently at Sparta Prague, Rosicky is thought to be a leading candidate after working with the side following his retirement in 2017.

He has overseen Adam Hlozek’s move to Bayer Leverkusen and Tomas Cvancara’s transfer to Borussia Monchengladbach – two big-money exits for Sparta Prague, who have gradually been improving in Europe in recent years.

3

Luis Campos

PSG

Arteta has reportedly asked Paris Saint-Germain chief Luis Campos to move to Arsenal, with the 60-year-old seemingly open to leaving the French giants.

Formerly on the books of Real Madrid as a scout and Monaco as a sporting director, Campos helped secure deals for Bernardo Silva, Fabinho, Anthony Martial and James Rodriguez as young players, all of whom went on to enjoy successful careers.

4

Andrea Berta

Unattached

Rumours have begun to swirl around the potential appointment of Andrea Berta, who was at Atletico Madrid until January. As per Football.london, Spanish sources had claimed that an agreement was close between the two parties.

Berta worked his way from the scouting department to the sporting director role in Madrid, during which time Los Colchoneros reached two Champions League finals, with Atleti winning the Europa League following Berta’s promotion to sporting director.

5

Thiago Scuro

Monaco

Thiago Scuro emerged as one of the early candidates to come in for Edu, with the Monaco man moving to the Ligue 1 side as their sporting director in 2023 from RB Leipzig.

Since then, Scuro has helped Monaco make some shrewd moves in the transfer market, bringing in Folarin Balogun from Arsenal, as well as adding the likes of Denis Zakaria, Wilfried Singo and Thilo Kehrer to the French side.

6

Simon Rolfes

Bayer Leverkusen

Arsenal were reportedly offered Simon Rolfes‘ services following Edu’s departure, with the former Bayer Leverkusen midfielder doing a solid job behind the scenes since 2022.

The German assisted Xabi Alonso in building the history-making squad that finished the 2023/24 campaign unbeaten domestically, with Leverkusen winning their first Bundesliga title.

7

Monchi

Aston Villa

Someone who has already rejected Arsenal’s sporting director role in the past is Monchi. Now at Aston Villa, Monchi snubbed the Gunners back in 2019 in order to return to Sevilla, and he has struck up a great partnership with Unai Emery, firstly in Spain and now at Villa Park.

Arsenal may have recently contacted Monchi after attempting to sign Ollie Watkins, and who knows, the 56-year-old director could be on their radar again.

8

Jason Ayto

Arsenal

Ayto, the current interim sporting director, is another candidate for the full-time sporting director role at the Emirates Stadium. That’s according to recent claims from football.london, with Ayto working behind the scenes on targets which include Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi.

However, Ayto and Arsenal’s failure to sign a new striker in January may not have done him many favours.

9

Per Mertesacker

Arsenal

Another potential option who is already on the payroll at Arsenal is Per Mertesacker.

The former towering Gunners defender is currently overseeing the club’s academy and reports after Edu’s departure claimed that Mertesacker is “highly appreciated” by Arsenal. A former teammate of Arteta, Mertesacker could slot in well, albeit in a largely different role to his current position.

10

Dan Ashworth

Warwickshire County Cricket Club

Dan Ashworth’s time at Man Utd was short and not so sweet, departing after just five months at Old Trafford, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Red Devils spending more time chasing him than having the former FA man on the books.

However, after successful stints with Brighton and Newcastle, Arsenal could look at offering him another role in football, as he is now currently advising Warwickshire County Cricket Club.

11

Tim Steidten

Unattached

Currently without a job is former West Ham United chief Tim Steidten, who left his role as technical director in early 2025.

The Hammers brought the German to England after impressing behind the scenes with Werder Bremen and Bayer Leverkusen. However, his summer spending spree at the London Stadium and the failed appointment of Julen Lopetegui resulted in both departing.

Prior to that, Arsenal were linked with Steidten, so he could still be one to watch.