Former Arsenal chief Edu takes advisory role at Northampton Town
Edu, the man who helped build Arsenal's title winning squad as the club's first ever sporting director, has taken on a new advisory role at League Two side Northampton Town following their recent takeover.
The former Brazil international left his position as Nottingham Forest's global head of football in September, and has since joined the board of directors at Bulgarian top flight club Levski Sofia, who are owned by London based investment firm Gemcorp Capital.
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Gemcorp are also an investor in Sports Alpha Capital, the group that completed a takeover of Northampton last month. The Brazilian consortium, which includes former AC Milan and Chelsea forward Alexandre Pato, took majority control of the Cobblers, who currently sit 23rd in League Two.
'Not day to day' involvement
Speaking at an open forum event, Northampton co-chairman Joao Xavier confirmed Edu's role would be informal rather than operational.
“We are very proud to have Alex [Pato] with us and Edu with us too,” Xavier said. “We became friends as he had a role at Nottingham Forest and I asked him to help me learn more about English football.”
“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.”
Xavier also moved to clarify that Northampton's ownership structure would not develop into a multi-club model, stating: “The club will never be part of a multi-club ownership, no other club is part of our project.”
Edu's journey since leaving Arsenal
Edu spent six years at Arsenal, initially as technical director before becoming the club's first ever sporting director in 2022. During his time at the Emirates, he oversaw much of the recruitment that shaped Mikel Arteta's squad, a group that went on to win the Premier League title last season, Arsenal's first in 22 years.
He won two Premier League titles and two FA Cups as a midfielder during his playing days with the Gunners, adding to a playing career that also included 16 caps for Brazil.
His move to Nottingham Forest proved short lived and turbulent. Edu's position came under scrutiny following a disagreement with then manager Nuno Espirito Santo, who was sacked last September, the first of four managers to take charge at the City Ground during the 2025-26 campaign.
Edu's current roles at Levski Sofia and now Northampton suggest a shift towards consultancy work across clubs linked to Gemcorp Capital's network, rather than a return to a hands on sporting director position in the immediate future.
