New reports suggest former Arsenal sporting director Edu Gaspar is under mounting pressure at Nottingham Forest, with his position described as increasingly uncertain.
Edu Gaspar’s time at Nottingham Forest is reportedly heading towards an “inevitable” conclusion, barely a year after the former Arsenal sporting director took up his new role.
The Brazilian left Arsenal in November 2024 after five years back at the club, having played a central role in the rebuild under Mikel Arteta. He resurfaced at Forest in July 2025 as Global Head of Football, tasked with overseeing recruitment, performance, squad strategy and player development across Evangelos Marinakis’s wider network.
However, according to The Daily Telegraph, Edu is now under serious pressure following a turbulent season in which Forest have dismissed three managers and spent close to £200m on new signings.
Sources cited in the report believe it is now a matter of “when, not if”, he departs.
Forest were in a strong position when Edu was first targeted in November 2024, pushing for Champions League qualification, with Nuno Espirito Santo securing European football for the first time in 30 years.
The appointment was intended to take the club to the next level, but the project has since faltered.
Nuno’s exit early this season followed a breakdown in his relationship with Marinakis, though the report claims a complete loss of trust with Edu accelerated the manager’s departure. It is alleged the pair’s relationship deteriorated so badly that Nuno would deliberately avoid crossing paths with him.
Edu’s influence is also said to have waned internally. When Sean Dyche was dismissed last week, the Telegraph report claims Edu was not consulted, despite having backed the appointment alongside sporting director George Syrianos.
Dyche lasted just 114 days, longer than predecessor Ange Postecoglou, but still part of a chaotic managerial cycle that has seen Vitor Pereira become Forest’s fourth head coach of the season.
Recruitment has also come under scrutiny. Edu oversaw the loan arrival of Oleksandr Zinchenko from Arsenal, who barely featured before Forest had to find another club to take over the deal. In January, Zinchenko moved to Ajax on a permanent deal and promptly did his ACL two minutes into his debut.
Douglas Luiz returned to Aston Villa after his loan was cancelled, while Arnaud Kalimuendo, signed for £26m from Rennes, was loaned to Eintracht Frankfurt within four months.
With Forest hovering dangerously close to the relegation zone and internal tensions growing, doubts over Edu’s long term future have intensified.
Forest now turn their attention to Europe, with Pereira preparing to face Fenerbahce on Thursday before a league meeting with Liverpool, but the spotlight remains firmly on the club’s football leadership and whether Edu’s project is already nearing its end.