Nottingham Forest has appointed former Arsenal sporting director Edu Gaspar as its first Global Head of Football, the club announced on 7 July. The Brazilian executive will take charge of all football operations at the City Ground after leaving Arsenal in November 2024. Forest said the newly created role covers recruitment, performance analysis, squad strategy and player development and will also encompass the club’s sister teams Olympiacos in Greece and Rio Ave in Portugal, both owned by president Evangelos Marinakis. Edu, 46, described the project as “deeply connected” to his commitment to innovation and long-term planning. Marinakis said Edu’s global experience and “winning mindset” fit the ownership’s ambition to expand its international football platform. The move follows Forest’s seventh-place Premier League finish last season under head coach Nuno Espírito Santo, which secured a berth in the 2025-26 UEFA Conference League. Club officials view Edu’s arrival as a key step toward sustaining the team’s recent progress in domestic and European competitions.