Edu reacts to Champions League draw

Sporting Director Edu has shared his reaction to Thursday’s UEFA Champions League draw.

We will come up against Sevilla, PSV Eindhoven and Lens in the group stage of this year’s prestigious competition.

“They are very traditional, strong teams,” Edu said. “To be in that competition you cannot choose the teams you are going to play against. All of them are very hard to play against, so we’re here, happy to be in the competition again, and that’s the most important thing for the club. It’s the most important thing for the players, the staff, for everyone. Now, let’s enjoy the competition and see how we can behave in it.

“When we’re talking about Arsenal Football Club, we cannot prioritise anything. We have to go there and try our best to play well in any competition. To be in the Premier League, Champions League and cups we’re participating in as well, it’s important to do our best and perform in the best way possible and finish in the best position.”

Champions League football will return to Emirates Stadium for the first time since the 2016/17 season, and Edu can’t wait for those famous nights to be back at the carpet.

“The fans and the club really deserve that because we are working so hard to come back to that situation,” he said. “It’s a big bonus from the last season. The way we behave as a club, the way the players, the staff, everyone works to be back in the Champions League, it’s a big bonus now. I’m pretty sure the fans will enjoy the competition. Everyone deserves it and let’s enjoy it again.”

Edu also took time to discuss the shape the squad is in as we approach the end of the summer transfer window, saying that he’s really pleased with the progress we've made across the past two and a half months.

“As everybody can see, we made one very strong strategy to be very proactive in the beginning of the transfer window and we did it,” he explained. “Now we are talking about trying to balance the squad a little bit better. We keep talking to a few clubs but so far we are really happy with the transfer window and we have to say thank-you very much to all the people who work in the club to make that happen. It’s a good, exciting season ahead for us.”