Edu Joins Northampton Town as Senior Advisor in New Era

Northampton Town’s new owners have turned to a familiar Premier League figure as they try to drag the club away from the League Two trapdoor, with former Arsenal director of football Edu brought in as a senior advisor.

The ex-Brazil midfielder, who left his role as Nottingham Forest’s global head of football in September, will act as a sounding board for the Cobblers’ hierarchy under their new Brazilian consortium, fronted by former AC Milan and Chelsea forward Alexandre Pato.

Edu, already on the board at Bulgarian top-flight side Levski Sofia, will not be involved in the day-to-day running at Sixfields. Instead, he will drop in when needed, offering strategic guidance on what co-chairman Joao Xavier called the “sporting questions” facing a club sitting 23rd in League Two.

“We are very proud to have Alex [Pato] with us and Edu with us too,” Xavier told supporters at an open forum, outlining how the relationship with the 46-year-old developed during Edu’s time at Forest.

“We became friends as he had a role at Nottingham Forest and I asked him to help me learn more about English football,” Xavier said, explaining why Northampton’s new regime have moved to formalise his input.

Edu’s presence underlines the web of connections behind the Cobblers’ takeover. Levski Sofia are owned by London-based investment firm Gemcorp Capital, an investor in Sports Alpha Capital – the group that has become Northampton’s majority shareholder.

From that network comes Edu’s advisory role: officially a senior advisor to one of Northampton’s partners, supporting both Levski Sofia and now the Cobblers. The club insist, though, that this will not morph into a multi-club model.

“Edu is a senior advisor for one of our partners, acting as an advisor for Levski Sofia and also here, helping us navigate the sporting questions here at the club, not day to day, just when we ask him and when we need him,” Xavier said, before drawing a clear line in the sand.

“The club will never be part of a multi-club ownership – no other club is part of our project.”

So Northampton step into a new era: a struggling League Two side with a World Cup winner in their corner, leaning on his experience only when the questions get big enough. How quickly those answers arrive may define their season.