Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has spoken about links with Edu
Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis remains optimistic about a deal for Edu after the Brazilian's surprise Arsenal exit.
Former Arsenal midfielder Edu rejoined the Gunners as sporting director in 2019, overseeing the arrival of Mikel Arteta as manager. He also helped the Gunners secure a number of notable signings, including current club captain Martin Odegaard, but left in November with little in the way of public warning.
At the time, it was reported that he would join Marinakis' multi-club ownership model. As well as Forest, the Greek businessman owns Olympiacos in his homeland and Portuguese outfit Rio Ave.
Edu's role is expected to involve the worldwide operation, rather than just the Premier League club. While there has been no announcement as of yet, Marinakis provided an update on Thursday.
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"Edu was a very good player and also a very good sporting and technical director," Marinakis told Sky Sports. "I have a lot of respect for him. The results we saw over the years at Arsenal were very good and he has done an excellent job at Arsenal.
"What I can say is that I would like to cooperate with him on a much bigger project, a global project. I'm optimistic that in case all this goes ahead, it will be another successful venture for both of us. I'm very optimistic about it, but we need to see how this will be developed and will be finalised, if and when time allows."
When asked if the move was a signifier of ambition, he added: "Yes. And I think that there are a lot of people that want to cooperate with us and work with us and that means that they respect us and they appreciate what we do. It gives us satisfaction that what we do is something that is appealing to very good people in the industry."
Were you surprised to see Edu leave Arsenal? Have your say in the comments section
Edu has left Arsenal after five years in North London
Arsenal have yet to announce a successor to Edu, with Paris Saint-Germain's Luis Campos among those linked with the role. Former Gunners captain Gilberto Silva was also asked about the possibility of succeeding his fellow Brazilian, though he played down those suggestions.
"This is not something I was [thinking about doing] in the next few years, despite the fact that I have done it for Panathanaikos in the past," Silva told Sky Sports. "In the last few years, I have been on a different road in football and with Arsenal.
"I don't know, I don't know. I have done the preparation for it a few years ago and I have been [approached] by a few clubs in Brazil, but I decided not to take the position. I am not saying right now, but it's always great to be around Arsenal even as an ambassador."
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