Edu Gaspar leaves Nottingham Forest after the former Arsenal sporting director’s turbulent spell as the club’s Global Head of Football came to an end.
Edu Gaspar’s time at Nottingham Forest is officially over after the club terminated his contract, ending a short and increasingly difficult spell at the City Ground.
The Brazilian executive joined Forest in July 2025 after leaving Arsenal, taking up a newly created position as Global Head of Football. His responsibilities included recruitment, squad strategy, performance and player development across the club’s football structure.
However, just over a year after his arrival, Edu has now departed the club.
Edu Gaspar leaves Nottingham Forest
Edu’s appointment was initially viewed as a major statement of ambition from Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis.
Having played an important role in Arsenal’s rebuild alongside manager Mikel Arteta, Edu arrived at Forest with a strong reputation in football recruitment and club management.
Forest announced his appointment on July 7, 2025, with the club expecting him to help establish a broader football model across Marinakis’ football interests.
Instead, his time at Forest became increasingly complicated.
According to reports, Edu had not been involved in the club’s day-to-day operations for several months before his contract was terminated. He had reportedly not attended a Forest match since the club’s Premier League meeting with Liverpool on February 22, 2026, and was also absent from the training ground and stadium.
Reports in March indicated that Edu had been instructed to stay away from Forest’s training ground and stadium while uncertainty surrounding his position continued.
Relationship with Nuno became a major issue
One of the biggest sources of tension during Edu’s time at Forest was reportedly his relationship with former head coach Nuno Espírito Santo.
Nuno was dismissed in September 2025 after Forest’s opening three league matches of the season, with reports of disagreements between the manager and figures within the club’s hierarchy.
Forest subsequently went through further managerial changes, adding to the instability surrounding the club’s football structure.
Edu’s role also came under scrutiny as Forest struggled for consistency and underwent significant changes in their football department.
A very different ending from his Arsenal success
Edu arrived at Nottingham Forest with considerable credit from his successful period at Arsenal.
He joined the Gunners as technical director in 2019 before becoming the club’s sporting director in 2022. During his time in north London, he worked closely with Arteta as Arsenal developed into serious Premier League title contenders.
That made his move to Forest particularly intriguing.
The expectation was that Edu could bring the same long-term recruitment and squad-building approach to the City Ground. Instead, his tenure ended after little more than a year.
What happens next for Nottingham Forest?
Edu’s departure leaves Forest with another important decision to make regarding the structure of their football department.
Recent reports indicate that the club may not immediately appoint a direct replacement, with existing figures within the organisation taking on additional responsibilities.
For Edu, meanwhile, attention will now turn to what comes next in his career.
His reputation remains significant because of his work at Arsenal, despite the disappointing conclusion to his Nottingham Forest project.
For Forest, the priority will be restoring stability and ensuring that the latest change behind the scenes does not further disrupt the club’s footballing plans.
Edu Gaspar’s Nottingham Forest experiment has therefore come to an abrupt end — just over a year after it began.
