Arsenal technical director Edu Gaspar and former Gunners midfielder Cesc Fabregas were both recognised at the Golden Boy awards this week.

The Golden Boy award ceremony took place on Monday night, with Jude Bellingham (Golden Boy Absolute Best) and Linda Caicedo (Golden Girl Absolute Best) winning the main prizes for 2023.

But there were a number of other prizes given out on the night, and a couple went to people with Arsenal connections.

Edu Gaspar won the award for the best sporting director in 2023, whilst former Gunner Cesc Fabregas won the Golden Boy Career Award.

Edu works as Arsenal’s technical director, and he’s had a busy year in 2023.

Arsenal have made a number of major signings, including Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber, David Raya, Jakub Kiwior, Jorginho, and Leandro Trossard.

The Gunners also made a few significant sales, including Folarin Balogun to AS Monaco, Granit Xhaka to Bayer Leverkusen, Matt Turner to Nottingham Forest, and Auston Trusty to Sheffield United.

On top of that, Edu was also hard at work on the contract front, agreeing new deals with Martin Odegaard, William Saliba, Reiss Nelson, Bukayo Saka, Aaron Ramsdale, and Gabriel Martinelli.

Fresh terms are also in the works for Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu, and a few youth players signed on as well, including highly-rated duo Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly.

It’s hard to argue that Edu hasn’t had a pretty successful year with Arsenal, albeit aided by financial support from the owners and Mikel Arteta’s management making Arsenal an attractive place to be.

As for Fabregas, the midfielder won the Golden Boy award in 2006, and this latest award comes as recognition of his career as a whole, after the recent announcement of his retirement from playing.

Fabregas won the 2006 award as an Arsenal youngster, and he went on to win a number of trophies for club and country over a 20-year career in senior football.