Arsenal technical director Edu has insisted he and manager Mikel Arteta will work closely to identify the best possible signings for the club in the future.
Edu, who played for the Gunners between 2001-2005, returned to north London in 2019 to take up his role, and he has been an important figure behind the scenes ever since.
And speaking in an interview with The Athletic the 42-year-old Brazilian said he is looking forward to a fruitful partnership with Arteta going forward.
"Mikel has to be involved in recruitment, he must," Edu said. "We talk about what we need, the characteristics of the players, the system we’re going to play and then I start the process internally. That’s my role.
"If he has names, if he advises or wants advice on players, that’s fine. If he wants to talk to the other guys [like scouts] of course he will talk to them, but normally that’s my process. That’s why the relationship between us needs to be very strong.
"I have to understand his points and he has to understand the club’s points. Then we build everything together — that’s the main point."
Edu has clearly been impressed with what he has seen from Arteta so far, and says the two have been able to connect easily from day one.
"My first conversation with him was not about football and that’s what I really loved,” he added. "It was about concepts, respect, people and staff but not football. My beliefs and his beliefs are the same.
"We were talking about life, about family, how important it is for the players to understand the importance of being together and respecting the club. After that conversation I was really surprised — we connected straight away with our ideas, philosophy and lifestyle.
“So before we went through the technical part, I felt he was a special guy."
