Nottingham Forest Sporting Director Edu has left the club after just over a year in the role. The former Arsenal Invincible, who was responsible for recruiting Mikel Arteta to the role as the Gunners manager in 2019, revealed that he had parted ways with owner Evangelos Marinakis following the termination of his contract with the club.
After four years as a player with Arsenal and then five years as Technical Director, Edu moved north to the City Ground in July 2025 to take up the post of Global Head of Football. Forest were looking to build on a successful return to the Premier League, having finished seventh in the Premier League and qualified for the Europa League.
However, tensions between Marinakis and then-manager Nuno Espírito Santo came to a head following Nottingham Forest’s 2-2 draw at home to struggling Leicester City in May 2025. Marinakis confronted Espírito Santo on the pitch at full-time in an animated exchange, with Champions League qualification hanging in the balance.
Relations between Edu and Espírito Santo also deteriorated at the beginning of the 2025/26 season. Nuno was dismissed in September and replaced by former Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou. Fortunes didn’t improve under Postecoglou, and he too was dismissed after failing to win a single game in just over a month in charge.
Sean Dyche was then tasked with cementing Forest’s place in the Premier League, as the Reds welcomed their fourth manager of the season. Dyche succeeded in delivering survival but was sacked after 114 days in charge, following a return of just two points from Forest’s remaining three games of the season.
The managerial revolving door now welcomes former Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner to the club. Under Edu, Nottingham Forest’s final summer spending this year came to a grand total of £138.2m, with key signings including Daniel Muñoz from Glasner’s former club Palace and Liam Delap, who arrived from Chelsea.
Edu’s role will not be filled as the Brazilian exits the City Ground. Chief Football Officer George Syrianos will take on Edu’s responsibilities under the guidance of new Chief Executive Theodore Giannikos, formerly of Marinakis’ Greek club, Olympiacos.
The change at the helm came after former Chief Executive Lina Souloukou stepped down at the end of last season.