Keith Wyness lifts lid on Arsenal 'friction' after Edu's exit - 'I'm hearing...'

Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness has claimed Edu Gaspar’s exit could expose “friction” between the Arsenal board and Mikel Arteta.

Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, the 66-year-old – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – insisted Arteta is a “fiery competitor” – and that he had heard Edu was the “lubricant” which kept things running smoothly.

As exclusively revealed by Football Insider on Monday (4 November), Edu has quit Arsenal after agreeing a triple-your-money deal with the group run by Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis.

The ex-Brazil international midfielder returned to the club in 2019 as technical director before transitioning into a sporting director role.

He has forged a close relationship with Arteta, with the pair working together to transform Arsenal into title challengers in the past two seasons.

Edu exit could bring Arteta ‘friction’ at Arsenal

Wyness claimed he has heard that Edu was the “lubricant” who kept things running smoothly at the Emirates Stadium.

He told Football Insider‘s Insider Track podcast: “Where I think Edu will be missed is the chemistry at Arsenal.

“I think he was a bit of oil on troubled waters sometimes.

“Everyone liked him, he had a great personality – from what I hear.

“I hear he was the lubricant who did a lot of things right and communicated well with all parties.

“That could lead to some friction with the board and Arteta now he is gone.

“He was important to communication.

“You’ve got a manager at Arsenal who wants to be so involved.

“That conflict can be a problem. Arteta is a fiery competitor who wants nothing but the best, but he’s got to let a new sporting director do their job.

“I’m sure Mikel is now seasoned enough to know it is time to accept the owners’ decision.

“Hopefully it is someone who can get on with him well.”

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The post Keith Wyness lifts lid on Arsenal 'friction' after Edu's exit - 'I'm hearing...' appeared first on Football Insider.