Report: Arsenal to Hire Invincibles Midfielder Edu Gaspar as Sporting Director

Former Arsenal midfielder Edu has reportedly signed a five-year deal to return to the club as a sporting director. 

According to Juca Kfouri of Brazilian outlet UOL (h/t the Mirror), Edu will join the club after the Copa America this summer.

The 40-year-old is the general coordinator for the Brazil national team, having previously worked as a sporting director for Corinthians and as an assistant to then-Iran manager Carlos Quieroz at the 2014 World Cup.

According to Yahoo Esportes' Jorge Nicola (h/t Richards), Edu is set to leave the Selecao setup to join Arsenal after a disagreement with Rogerio Caboclo, who became president of the Brazilian Football Confederation in April last year.

Arsenal blogger Tim Stillman predicts Edu could bring with him links to Kia Joorabchian, who serves as an agent for the likes of Philippe Coutinho and David Luiz:

Squawka's Jake Entwistle believes appointing him could be a shrewd move from the Gunners, while Football.London's James Benge noted his familiarity with the club's ethos:

Edu played 127 games for Arsenal between 2001 and 2005, including 30 Premier League appearances during the Gunners' unbeaten "Invincibles" campaign in 2003-04.

Arsenal have been looking for a sporting director since head of recruitment Sven Mislintat left the Emirates Stadium in February.

Monchi, who worked with Gunners boss Unai Emery at Sevilla, was mooted after he left Roma in March, but he quickly rejoined the Spanish side instead.