Edu’s exit a surprise but will not affect Arsenal’s progress, insists Mikel Arteta

Mikel Arteta has insisted Edu's departure as sporting director will not stop Arsenal's upward trajectory but admitted that losing one of his key allies came as a surprise. The Brazilian's resignation was confirmed on Monday, with Edu expected to join the multi-club network of Nottingham Forest's owner, Evangelos Marinakis. Arsenal are understood to have failed with an attempt to persuade Edu to stay at the Emirates having offered to match the improved salary that is believed to be on offer from Marinakis.

At present, there is no successor lined up for a role that did not exist at Arsenal before the former midfielder assumed the position in November 2022. Arteta, whose side face Inter in the Champions League on Wednesday night, admitted that he was disappointed to lose Edu but is confident Arsenal can replace him.

"Everything happened very quickly," he said of Edu's departure. "Obviously I loved working with him and really enjoyed being alongside him on this incredible journey. From day one we have been together and I'm very grateful personally for all the work he has done for the football club. We both had this special chemistry and really enjoyed working together. He has an amazing opportunity now to do something else in a different role and he believes that is the right professional move for him. We have to respect that and everyone wants the best for him."

Asked whether he had any message for the club's fans, Arteta added: "The plan and the vision that starts with the ownership is very clear – it is going to continue. We have a very strong leadership team with unbelievable knowhow and a real passion and great feelings for the football club. We are not going to stop where we are at the moment and across the club. The excitement, the passion and the understanding of where we want to take this journey remains intact and that means opportunities for somebody else to come and fulfil their role. We have to move on because that is the reality of our industry."

Declan Rice has not travelled to Italy after picking up a foot injury in Saturday's defeat by Newcastle , with Arteta admitting the England midfielder was "not comfortable to put his boot on". It remains to be seen whether he will be fit to face Chelsea on Sunday, although there was better news with the captain, Martin Ødegaard, having made the trip after missing his team's last 12 matches after picking up an ankle injury on international duty with Norway in September.

"He's a bit earlier than we expected but he wanted to be with the team so we'll decide tomorrow whether to use him or not," said Arteta. "But at least it's a big step that he's travelled with us and is part of the team."

Arsenal come into the meeting with Inter having failed to win any of their last three Premier League matches but are unbeaten so far in the Champions League after three games. Bukayo Saka is expected to continue as captain if Ødegaard does not start at San Siro and he insisted that he has not felt the need to issue a rallying cry despite a poor run of recent results.

"I would if I felt I needed to but I think it's important not to overreact as well," he said. "Obviously there's a lot of noise around the club and we lost two games and drew another one. But at the same time I think it's important to stay calm – doing all of these things can at the same time create more calm but they can also create a bit more panic and chaos. I don't think we need that right now. So I'm just doing my best to help the team in every way I can and if I need to do that I'll do that for sure."