7 September, according to reports from The Mirror, Edu has officially ended his tenure at Nottingham Forest. The former Arsenal technical director chose to pursue a new challenge after leaving The Gunners, but his experience at City Ground fell short of expectations.

Edu was at the peak of his career when he left Arsenal. During his time with The Gunners, he worked closely with manager Mikel Arteta, helping the team rebuild itself as a Premier League title contender. After Arsenal finished as Premier League runners-up for two consecutive seasons, Edu decided to leave Emirates Stadium to seek new development opportunities.

In July 2024, Edu joined Nottingham Forest as Global Football Officer, overseeing football operations for several clubs under the Forest umbrella, including Olympiacos from Greece and Rio Ave from Portugal. The multi-club model pioneered by Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis was one of the key factors that attracted Edu.

However, Edu's work at Forest did not achieve the desired results. Reports indicate that his relationships with several key club insiders were strained, and his conflicts with then-manager Nuno Espírito Santo gradually became public. After Nuno eventually left the team, Forest underwent frequent managerial changes last season, cycling through Nuno, Ange Postecoglou, Sean Dyche, and Vítor Pereira before narrowly avoiding relegation.

Additionally, several transfer operations led by Edu underperformed. After finishing seventh in the Premier League and qualifying for European competition in 2024, Forest hoped to significantly strengthen their competitiveness through new signings, but several new recruits failed to meet expectations.

Among these, Edu spearheaded the team's pursuit of Brazilian Botafogo forward Igor Jesus and was also involved in facilitating the arrivals of players such as Omari Hutchinson, Douglas Luiz, and Oleksandr Zinchenko. Forest's purchase of Hutchinson for £37.5 million was considered a significant investment, but the player's performance since joining the team has not fully lived up to expectations.

Meanwhile, James McAtee, who joined from Manchester City, was once considered a key recruit, but due to prolonged team instability, the young midfielder was unable to fully demonstrate his potential.

Reports indicate that Edu was gradually sidelined in the final stages of his time at Forest. He did not attend team matches for months, was not seen in the stands since February, and had not entered City Ground or the training ground since early March. Eventually, both parties decided to end the contract.

By contrast, Edu's achievements during his time at Arsenal were more prominent. As one of the "Invincibles," he transitioned to management after retirement and became Arsenal's first Director of Sport in 2022. He was instrumental in securing several key recruits, including Ødegaard, White, Gabriel, and club-record signing Rice.

Following Edu's departure, Arsenal has continued to thrive, with new Head of Football Benoît Bailly taking over relevant duties and helping the team further strengthen its squad.

For Edu, his experience at Nottingham Forest was undoubtedly a challenging journey. He hoped to begin a new chapter in his career through the multi-club model but ultimately ended the collaboration earlier than planned due to internal relationships, team performance, and transfer decision issues. Now, this experience has become an important test in his professional management career.

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