Arsenal came into this season with big aspirations. This was it. This was the campaign where Mikel Arteta‘s side were going to topple Manchester City. That’s what the script suggested, anyway.
Over the last two seasons, the Gunners have come incredibly close to ending a two-decade-long drought without the Premier League title.
In 2022/23 they came within five points of defeating Pep Guardiola’s side and last term it was reduced to a gap of only two points. They were coming closer.
In 2024/25, it’s all gone rather wrong. Arsenal are still only four points behind the Citizens but Arne Slot’s new Liverpool team are on the charge and currently sit nine points ahead of Arteta’s men.
It’s worrying times for Arsenal, particularly with proceedings looking a little less uncertain behind the scenes. The Spaniard has recently penned new terms at the Emirates Stadium and while his future remains in north London’s, technical director Edu Gaspar‘s does not.
Why Edu is leaving Arsenal
Two weeks ago news emerged that their successful Brazilian negotiator would be leaving Arsenal in search of pastures new.
Why? A few reasons truth be told, but it’s ultimately down to the former midfielder’s desire for more power and to oversee a larger project.
At Arsenal, his official job title has been Sporting Director which means he’s overseen plenty of dealings in and out of the football club.
Most notably he has been charged with negotiating player arrivals and player sales, with some of his most successful deals seeing the likes of Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice and William Saliba arrive. However, for every Rice, there has been a Willian. For every Odegaard, there has been a Nicolas Pepe. It’s a mixed bag but ultimately he’s led things very well.
Change, therefore, might be good. That’s for both parties. It’s not confirmed yet but reports suggest that Edu is set to join Evangelos Marinakis’ empire of clubs which at the moment sees the Greek oversee fellow Premier League side Nottingham Forest, Conference League winners Olympiacos and Portuguese club Rio Ave.
So, who could replace him?
Potential Edu replacements for Arsenal to consider
It’s not clear yet what direction Arsenal will head in but with Edu serving a six-month notice period, they do have some time to mull it over and get all their ducks in a row.
One outstanding option could be Bayer Leverkusen’s Simon Rolfes but the possibility of hiring a former player is also being touted with Academy Manager Per Mertesacker one name mentioned. Tomas Rosicky – currently the sporting director at Czech club Sparta Prague – could also be in the frame.
Yet, it looks as though Arsenal may have just been handed the perfect opportunity to hire one of the “best around” in the words of David Ornstein. That happens to be Real Sociedad’s director of football Roberto Olabe who rather coincidentally happens to be leaving the Spanish outfit in June 2025, just in time for when Edu’s gardening leave finishes.
Why would he be an exceptional hire? Well, the 57-year-old has a pretty striking record in the transfer market and has worked with some of Arsenal’s most prominent figures before.
Rather remarkably, Olabe was the one to sign Arteta as a player back in 2004 for a short spell before he joined Everton a year later.
Arsenal have dealt with the Sociedad figure before, notably when sending Kieran Tierney on loan to the LaLiga side last term and when selling fellow left-back Nacho Monreal. On that evidence, a relationship already exists between the Gunners hierarchy and Olabe. That could well be crucial if any move is made in the future.
What’s most impressive is his record in the transfer market, signing some of the best up-and-coming players in Europe before making a strong profit.
Alexander Isak stands proud as the best example of his player trading model in the Basque country. Having been signed for just £8m from Borussia Dortmund, he left three years later in 2022 for a whopping fee of £58m, joining Newcastle.
Current Arsenal star Mikel Merino is another interesting example. Signed from Newcastle for around £10m, he came back to England over the summer in a deal worth about £34m.
He also signed current club captain Odegaard on loan. It was a spell that ended up being the real making of the Norwegian who scored seven goals and supplied nine assists in 36 outings.
So, how have Sociedad actually performed under his watch? Well, after returning to San Sebastian for a second spell in 2018, it’s been incredibly consistent.
Sociedad’s performance under Olabe | ||
|---|---|---|
Season | Points | Finish |
2018/19 | 50 | 9th |
2019/20 | 56 | 6th |
2020/21 | 62 | 5th |
2021/22 | 62 | 6th |
2022/23 | 71 | 4th |
2023/24 | 60 | 6th |
Data via Transfermarkt. | ||
He will leave the club in a pretty decent place. Sociedad beat table-topping Barcelona at the weekend and currently sit eighth, just three points behind fifth-placed Osasuna.
Said to be one of ‘the most respected figures in his field’ by the Athletic, there are fewer better candidates and fewer candidates more well-known to various people at Arsenal than Olabe.
He’s certainly an exceptional option for Stan Kroenke and Co to consider over the forthcoming months.
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