Edu arrives at Nottingham Forest as Newcastle close in on Elanga deal
Nottingham Forest have had a busy few days, welcoming Edu to the club, while also reportedly letting Anthony Elanga depart for Newcastle.
Nottingham Forest have announced the arrival of former Arsenal sporting director Edu as their new global head of football.
Edu, who left Arsenal in November last year, will oversee football operations at the City Ground, including recruitment, performance, squad strategy, and player development.
It has also been reported that the Brazilian's remit is also expected to extend to Olympiacos and Rio Ave, the other clubs owned by Forest chief Evangelos Marinakis.
Edu will now work with Nuno Espirito Santo as the club prepare for their first European campaign since 1995-96 as they compete in the Europa Conference League next year.
They have already bolstered the squad, with the addition of Botafogo's Igor Jesus, and Edu has already expressed his excitement about what the future holds.
"I'm truly excited about this new chapter and honoured by the trust placed in me," said Edu.
"This project connects deeply with my values around innovation and long-term planning.
"I look forward to building a global football model that is competitive, sustainable, and aligned with our president's [Evangelos Marinakis] ambition."
Forest have also secured the future of defender Ola Aina, who put pen to paper on a three-year contract extension after a stellar campaign last year.
Aina completed the sixth-most dribbles of any defender in the top flight (33) while being successful with 42 tackles, with only 14 defenders winning more.
The club have also completed long-term agreements with Chris Wood and Murillo, but one player who appears to be leaving the club is Anthony Elanga.
The former Manchester United forward has reportedly agreed a £55m switch to Newcastle United, having only joined Forest back in 2023.
Elanga was another key part of Forest's squad that finished seventh in the Premier League, starting 31 of their 38 top flight fixtures last season.
Indeed, only Mohamed Salah (18) and Jacob Murphy (12) recorded more league assists than Elanga (11) in 2024-25, while he also scored six times.
He also had a team-high total of 14 fast breaks, with his 13 successful crosses from open play a total only bettered by Callum Hudson-Odoi (15).
