Mikel Arteta wants Arsenal to keep hold of 'super important' Edu

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says technical director Edu is "super important" and is therefore hoping that the club keep hold of the Brazilian.

After playing for the club from 2001 to 2005, Edu returned to N5 in 2019, becoming their first-ever technical director.

A few months later, Arteta was appointed as the new head coach, and the pair have since turned things around with the Gunners sitting top of the Premier League with what many feel is their strongest squad in years.

Edu's Arsenal future has come into some doubt with several of Europe's top clubs interested in his services.

However, 90min understands that Arsenal are offering him a new contract, and Arteta has made it clear that he feels Edu is crucial to their project.

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"I just hope that he stays here for a long time because it would be a really positive thing for the club," said the Spaniard.

"I work with him really well, I think he’s a super important figure at the club that represents all the values, all the ideas and everything that we want to do in the right way. Hopefully, that will be the case.

"There’s a lot happening at a football club and he has a huge role. He has a really good way of communicating with people and managing a lot of things that happen daily. For me and the team, he’s really important.

"I think you have to build that relationship. First of all, you have to be very well respected, the roles have to be very clear and you have to share the same ideas, at the same time you have to be challenged by each other because sometimes as coaches, we have other ideas or we want something right now that is not the best thing for the club."