Edu's final Arsenal transfer call comes back to bite Gunners after brutal six-word verdict

Arsenal are set to enter a new era when Edu Gaspar leaves his post as sporting director after reportedly being poached by Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest. But based on his final act in the transfer market, it could represent a blessing in disguise.

The Brazilian has been instrumental in recruiting some top names for Mikel Arteta’s squad, with Declan Rice proving to be an integral member of the squad and David Raya a snip at just £27million. Before that, Martin Odegaard cost just £35m to sign from Real Madrid and is now their captain, while cheaper buys such as Gabriel Martinelli have developed into first-team regulars.

With every sporting director, there are going to be deals that simply don’t work out as planned. They usually arise when knee-jerk decisions are made, and it could be argued Raheem Sterling falls into that category for Edu and Arsenal.

The north London outfit swooped in a late deal on transfer deadline day to snatch the four-time Premier League winner from Chelsea on a straight loan deal. Such was the Blues’ disorganisation in offloading their unwanted stars, Edu was able to arrange a move that would see them pay less than half of his £325,000-a-week wages.

By Edu’s own admission, Sterling wasn’t a target of theirs and a snap decision was made after consulting Arteta and co-chairman Tim Lewis.

“To be fair, we never planned really to sign him when we started the transfer window, just to be very transparent, for different reasons,” Edu said in August.

“But we always say to everyone that you have to be prepared for every single scenario. So when that opportunity came to me, and I checked the squad, I checked how he plays, and spoke to Mikel of course. I spoke to Tim, our vice-chairman, to check if everyone is comfortable for the step we are going to take, and it makes a lot of sense.”

Just over two months on from Sterling’s arrival, it almost seems as if Arsenal inadvertently did their London neighbours a favour. He has made eight appearances in a red shirt, scoring once and providing an assist – both coming in the Carabao Cup.

In the Premier League and Champions League, however, he has been used in a bit-part role and only amassed 162 minutes across his six games in those competitions. He played for an hour against Southampton before being hooked.

Then he was sacrificed after just 37 minutes in the 2-0 defeat to Southampton due to William Saliba’s red card. Even when trailing against Newcastle on Saturday, Sterling was left as an unused substitute – they lost the game 1-0. At this stage, it’s likely he will head back to Stamford Bridge in January if they are able to terminate his loan.

Arsenal needed a striker this summer, especially after selling Eddie Nketiah, but they didn’t sign Viktor Gyokeres, Victor Osimhen or Dusan Vlahovic. Instead, they got Sterling, a player deemed to be past his best and a backup winger at best.

Now Arteta is counting the cost, with Kai Havertz’s goals drying up and Gabriel Jesus a shadow of the striker he once was. His side have scored 17 goals in the Premier League, a tally bettered by Brentford, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester City.

Edu has worked wonders at the Emirates, but his decision to gamble on Sterling has backfired. Barring a remarkable change in fortunes, it will leave a small blot against his otherwise fine transfer record if he heads for the exit door.