Arsenal were dealt a shock as sporting director Edu Gaspar made the decision to leave his role.

The Gunners were not expecting their former midfielder to depart during the season, and they will now have to find a replacement.

Despite some criticism, Edu made a positive impact at Arsenal, helping Mikel Arteta build a squad capable of challenging for the Premier League title, and replacing him will not be easy.

Arsenal have now been linked with a move for West Ham technical director Tim Steidten, but this would be a surprising decision given his track record in East London so far.

Steidten joined West Ham in the summer of 2023, after spells at Werder Bremen and Bayer Leverkusen, and stamped his authority on the squad-building decisions at the club.

The Telegraph have now reported that West Ham ‘fear’ losing Steidten to Arsenal as they search for a replacement for Edu.

It is also claimed that an Arsenal move for Steidten would be a “surprise” given that since his arrival, his work at West Ham has been a net negative.

Tim Steidten would be a bizarre appointment for Arsenal

In his time at West Ham, Steidten had public tensions with David Moyes, before contributing to the decision which led to the manager’s departure at the end of last season.

West Ham spent heavily in the summer, whilst also hiring Julen Lopetegui, but have gone backwards since. There was a clear divide over some signings which were pushed by the new manager and some which were recommended by the director.

This would be far from ideal for Arteta. The Spaniard worked well with Edu, and Steidten clearly carries a very different approach in his work.

Given the scattergun approach with which West Ham have approached transfers under Steidten, it would certainly be a surprise to see Arsenal push for him, but as things stand, it seems that the club will consider a number of options.

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