Edu has found himself under increasing pressure since Evangelos Marinakis appointed him as Global Head of Football at Nottingham Forest.
Not every poor signing from the summer transfer window can be laid entirely at his door, with recruitment at the City Ground being a collective effort involving several people behind the scenes. But the weight of evidence is beginning to stack up against him. Omari Hutchinson arrived at considerable cost and has yet to find consistent form, while Douglas Luiz, another significant acquisition, has ended up back at Aston Villa on loan after struggling with both form and fitness.
Edu’s relationship with Nuno Espirito Santo also deteriorated badly, and that breakdown is widely considered a major factor in the instability that has seen Forest cycle through four managers in a single campaign, with Vitor Pereira now the man in the dugout.
Contrasting reports have now emerged about his future, leaving Forest supporters uncertain about what lies ahead. The Telegraph’s John Percy, who is regularly well-informed on matters at the City Ground, reported that questions have been raised about Edu’s position after he failed to attend the last two home matches, against Fenerbahce and away at Brighton. His presence at Forest games had previously been consistent, and the unexplained absences have fuelled speculation about his future with the club.
However, BBC journalist Sami Mokbel has suggested that any excitement among supporters should be tempered for now, with no imminent decision to part ways understood to be on the table at this stage.
The situation nonetheless appears to be shifting. Whether Marinakis decides to act in the coming weeks remains to be seen, but from the outside it is becoming increasingly difficult to argue that Edu’s position is secure. Had the club retained Espirito Santo, much of the current turbulence might have been avoided. As things stand, the signings have not delivered, the managerial situation has been chaotic, and the sense that a change is needed at the top of the football operation appears to be growing.