Roy Keane and Jamie Carragher have both blasted Arsenal technical director Edu, branding the club’s recruitment pattern ‘stupid’ and questioning the signings of Willian and David Luiz.
Edu is in his third summer window at the club but, after spending up to £275m since being appointed in 2019, Arsenal’s squad is still not capable of challenging for the top four, let alone the title.
Carragher feels Edu’s approach lacks coherence and is critical of the big-money contracts offered to some players past their prime, clashing with an Arsenal supporter who tried to defend their recent signings.
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‘In the years since Arsene Wenger left, or since Arsenal won the title, for an outsider it’s been difficult to get behind anything with Arsenal in terms of, okay they’re not winning, but you can sort of see where this is going,’ explained the Liverpool legend on Sky Sports’ The Overlap fan debate.
‘When you’re talking about Edu as sporting director, you’re bringing David Luiz in and you’re bringing Willian in – two rejects from Chelsea. I’m just scratching my head thinking, “I can’t get behind this, it’s wrong, it doesn’t work”.’
When one Arsenal fan tried to argue back, Carragher added: ‘Of course you’re allowed to make mistakes, but make the right mistakes.
‘Why are you buying rejects from Chelsea who are over 30? And then giving them big deals and you can’t get rid of them? That’s a mistake before it’s happened. That’s just stupid.’
As AFTV’s fan Ty argued that it was not stupid, Carragher retorted: ‘It is stupid! David Luiz has just gone for nothing, Willian will go for nothing.
‘They took a load of dough out of your club and you’re left with nothing. I wouldn’t have bought Willian! And I wouldn’t have bought Luiz! They are Chelsea rejects aren’t they, they got the best out of them and then went “Arsenal will have them”.’
When another Arsenal supporter claimed Edu was on holiday, right in the business end of the transfer window, Roy Keane added: ‘I think he’s been on holiday for about two years!’
The Red devils legend continued: ‘It goes down to your recruitment – can you get the right players? Arsenal are probably still looking to get one or two players in.
‘But the biggest problem for Arsenal, like a lot of clubs, is shifting players out. There’s player at Arsenal on huge money and they can’t get rid them. So then they’re stuck in terms of trying to bring players in. Recruitment is key.
‘We’re not writing Arsenal off, they won the FA Cup two years ago, but we’re talking about winning league titles and Arsenal are way off it just because they haven’t got the players, they haven’t got the strength in depth.’
