Arsenal sporting director Edu has now aimed a sly dig at Manchester City after they beat Arsenal to the Premier League title.
Arsenal were able to take the Premier League title race down to the wire this season. However, despite beating Everton at the Emirates Stadium on the final day of the campaign, Mikel Arteta’s side were not crowned champions.
Instead, Manchester City retained their title for a fourth successive season after overcoming West Ham United.
Of course, it was an achievement in and of itself for the Gunners to keep pace with Pep Guardiola’s men until the final day, but Edu and Arteta will still have been bitterly disappointed to miss out on silverware again.
Arteta has promised Arsenal fans that greater successes are still to come, and he and Edu will be working on a plan to take the North London club to the next level over the course of the upcoming summer transfer window.
Arsenal sporting director Edu takes aim at Manchester City
However, Manchester City are still expected to be a dominant force when the new campaign kicks off. Edu is certainly aware of the challenge that overhauling the Cityzens represents.
The Brazilian has now had his say on the work done by Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium, and has also aimed a subtle dig at the club over the 115 charges they currently have standing against them.
Speaking to Estadao, the former Arsenal midfielder said: “There are things that unfortunately I cannot say what I feel. But all the credit in the world to Pep for the coaching and work he’s been doing.”
What Arsenal must focus on now
In terms of the things Edu “cannot say,” he is clearly referring to the 115 charges for financial mismanagement and refusals to cooperate with investigations that have been levelled at Manchester City by the Premier League. The outcome of these accusations is still not known, and until a verdict is reached question marks will continue to hover over the club’s triumphs.
Guardiola’s own work cannot be diminished though. He is a world-class coach, and Arteta himself clearly learned a great deal from his fellow countryman in the time he spent working as an assistant at Manchester City, prior to taking on the top job at Arsenal in December 2019.
All the Gunners can do now though is focus on maintaining their own progress. Arsenal have improved year-on-year under the guidance of Arteta, and the club have done impressive work in the transfer market, led by Edu.