While he may have been the man who helped Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta turnaround the Gunners fortunes, sporting director Edu is set to leave his role at the Emirates.
On Monday, it was revealed Edu, who previously played for Arsenal as a midfielder under Arsene Wenger, would be leaving the Emirates. Returning as a technical director in 2019, the Brazilian was promoted to sporting director, overseeing transfers while working in tandem with Arteta.
Edu played a major part in bringing Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice to the Emirates, as the club once again became Premier League title challengers. But he is reportedly set to leave Arsenal to take up a job with Nottingham Forest’s owner Evangelos Marinakis, overseeing the clubs the Greek businessman owns.
Wherever he goes, the 46-year-old will be unfalteringly supported by his wife Paula, who has been by his side for over two decades now. The pair tied the knot in the summer prior to the 2003/04 season which saw Arsenal win the Premier League undefeated.
While Edu boasts a sizeable social media following of 435,000 followers on Instagram, his wife Paula has a smaller, more private following of just under 12,000.
(Image: Instagram/edugaspar)
She made headlines in August 2021, when she flipped off an Arsenal fan who was directing an angry rant at her husband. There was a very different mood at the Emirates at that time, with Arteta’s side losing their first two games of the season.
Paula wasn’t happy sitting by and letting Edu take the slack, though, promptly putting her middle finger up in the direction of the furious supporter, in footage which swiftly went viral online.
Their teenage daughter Maria also stuck up for her dad and called out fans who had messaged her account. “Look at everything my father was won, look at everything that he’s done,” she wrote on her Instagram story.
(Image: Instagram/edugaspar)
“I know about his potential. I’m not here to talk about that. But sometimes, reading this stuff, it hurts a lot. But we have to get used to this life, right. In life, there are ups and downs.
“My father has been on this life for a while, from criticism to praise, he’s used to it but I am not. It hurts a lot, but we will learn [to get used to it].
“Every day, I used to answer people on DMs, and some have asked why I stopped doing so. I can’t open my DM’s anymore because it’s full of abuse, I don’t have a lot of patience. My head is not right at the moment to explain why they’re abusing my father.”
(Image: Instagram/edugaspar)
Paula has also birthed son Luigi, 20, who played in Arsenal’s academy before signing his first professional contract with Watford, and younger daughter Isa. Little is known about her life before she met Edu, but she’s raised their children in the years since as he finished his playing career before transitioning into a backroom role.
He worked for Corinthians and the Brazil national team before returning to north London in 2019 as technical director, going on to become Arsenal’s first-ever sporting director – a role which he is now set to vacate.