Arsenal are at a turning point as the club gears up for a future without Edu Gaspar as Sporting Director, two names from the past are stepping up as replacements to shape the Gunners next chapter.
As far as running clubs goes, owners can crop up from any part of the world and from any professional background. However, as the modern trend has it, players who represented certain clubs have shown increasing interest in trying a hand at running said clubs.
On that note, reports from Footmercato have suggested that two former Arsenal stars are competing to replaced outbound Sporting Director Edu Gaspar this summer. The report says that Tomas Rosicky and Per Mertesacker are both in the running for the role.
Brazilian Edu represented the Gunners as a player much before the two aforementioned names. However, he made a great impact at the club, helping the north Londoners re-establish their style, culture and also their quality of football via quality transfers.
Now, as Arsenal prepare to enter a new phase, who will take up the mantle between Rosicky and Mertesacker?
Per Mertesacker or Tomas Rosicky: Who will be the new Arsenal Sporting Director?
Both Per Mertesacker and Tomas Rosicky have maintained roles within the sport since their retirement, keeping closely-knit ties with the sport. The German has been one of the key members of the club’s youth setup over the last few years. He has been their academy manager for around seven seasons now and has made a good impact.
Rosicky, on the other hand, has also done well to stay in a sporting role. He is currently the Sporting Director at Sparta Prague and is reportedly already in talks with Arsenal. Much like Edu, these two have been in their respective roles since around 2018 as well, giving them a decent seven years of experience each.
MUST READ: Agent offers promising 24-year-old Arsenal star to German clubs amid lack of game-time
However, the club will have to decide between appointing Mertesacker, who would be an in-house appointment, or Rosicky, who will come from overseas but will have tremendous perspective on how the Gunners have operated since the Wenger days.
