The London Evening Standard reports that executive vice-chair Tim Lewis and managing director Richard Garlick are overseeing Arsenal's search for Edu's replacement. Arteta, though, insisted that Arsenal's failure to sign any players in the January transfer was not down to an absent sporting director.

Mikel Arteta expects a decision over Arsenal ’s new sporting director to be reached “relatively quickly”. Edu resigned as Arsenal’s sporting director in November to take up a role working for Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis’ stable of clubs.

Mikel Arteta has described Kai Havertz as a genetic "powerhouse" and backed the Germany international to compensate for Arsenal's failure to sign a forward in January.