Arsenal have announced Edu as the club's new technical director.
The Brazilian will arrive in north London after leaving his post as general coordinator of the Brazil national team, a country who recently claimed their first Copa America title in 12 years.
What the role means
A member of the Invincibles, Edu will coordinate the work of Arsenal's first team, their coaching group and the academy, alongside player scouting and recruitment.
He will team up with Raul Sanllehi and Unai Emery in a bid to build and strengthen the squad.
The Islington club have been striving to improve on matters behind the scenes over recent years, previously appointing Sanllehi as Head of Football relations.
Speaking to the official Arsenal website, the Spaniard appeared to be delighted with the appointment, saying: "His arrival is the final and very important part of the jigsaw in our development of a new football infrastructure to take us forward."
Edu meanwhile commented: "We have a strong squad and some very talented young players with fantastic people at every level. I’m looking forward to helping make a difference.”
His playing days
The former midfielder played for the Gunners between 2001 and 2005, making 127 appearances for the club.
Throughout that time with Arsenal, he scored 15 goals whilst winning five trophies under the guidance of Arsene Wenger.
He won the title with them in 2002 as well as being apart of the historical team to go unbeaten during the 2003/04 Premier League campaign.
Edu also won three FA Cup's win the London outfit.
