Edu has reiterated his desire for Arsenal to improve on last season's finish, pilling more pressure on manager Mikel Arteta.
The Gunners finished fifth in the Premier League last term, ending up two points behind Tottenham in the race for fourth. Arteta's side were set to qualify for the Champions League but defeats to Newcastle and Spurs in the final three games ended their hopes.
Arsenal fans are expecting them to return to the big time this time around... and so is Edu. The club's technical director has told Arteta the team has to be "much better" this season as they have a strict "five-year plan" to bring the glory days back to the Emirates.
The Gunners haven't qualified for the Champions League since the 2015/16 campaign, finishing behind bitter rivals Tottenham every season since. Edu and the club's chiefs have invested heavily in the squad to achieve this, spending £150million last summer.
They've continued to splash the cash this time around, investing more than £100m to bring in Marquinhos, Gabriel Jesus, Fabio Vieira, Matt Turner and Oleksandr Zinchenko. More signings are expected to follow, such is Arsenal's determination for success.
Arteta will be aware of the pressure on his shoulders heading into Arsenal's first Premier League fixture of the season against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Friday evening. Patrick Vieira's side picked up four points against the Gunners last season.
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Speaking at the premiere of 'All or Nothing: Arsenal' - a new Amazon documentary about the club's 2021/22 campaign - Edu was asked if the squad is strongest it's been since his appointment in July 2019. "Yes, of course," confidentially came the reply.
"The intention is to be better every season. Your sense in terms of squad balance, in terms of quality of the players, in terms of almost everything. So I think so far we were doing quite well and I hope we will finish the transfer season the way we have planned it.
"First of all I always have in front of me [in his office] the squad – because I dream for the squad every day I sit in my chair, I’m seeing there I’m just working myself and how can we improve, how can you be better."
Edu is hoping for a better start to the season than last year, when Arsenal lost their opening three Premier League fixtures to Brentford, Chelsea and Manchester City. It was a humiliating run that saw the Gunners concede nine goals, scoring none in return.
"To be fair, if you remember how we started we had an issue about injuries, Covid stuff, some challenges in that period, which cost us being 100 per cent prepared," Edu added.
"I’m not saying we are better prepared, I think we are in a different situation right now. I think our pre-season was great. The strategy, our pre-season as well it was fantastic to play important games and to travel, it gives us a chance to start well."
Arsenal have finished eighth, eighth and fifth in the Premier League since Arteta succeeded Unai Emery in December 2019. He's won two trophies so far - the FA Cup and Community Shield.
Speaking last month, Edu said: "He [Arteta] showed me he has a very clear idea of how he wants to play football, which again helps us to make decisions. Now he’s going to make the club’s life easier.
"Then I give to the club a five-year plan. I said to Mikel and to the board: ‘Guys, 2022/23 will be the season we’re going to be much better. We have to be patient… It would be impossible to take everyone out and put everyone in, we need a process to do that."
