Exclusive: Inside the life of the Arsenal Technical Director’s son
Arsenal’s Under 18 squad played against Hitchin Town on Saturday and at the interval Gooner Talk spoke exclusively to Luigi Gaspar, the son of Edu Gaspar – Arsenal’s Technical Director.
Luigi, Edu’s son said he receives ‘roughly 100 direct messages on Instagram, each day, telling me to tell my dad to sign a player’. He claims he does not try to interfere with Edu’s Arsenal-related business calls at all. The Brazilian did admit, however, that his father does have a big presence on social media and hinted at the fact that Edu knows who the fans want the club to sign.
‘I receive roughly 100 direct messages on Instagram, each day, telling me to tell my dad to sign a player.’
Luigi gaspar on the type of messages he RECEIVES from arsenal fans
The Brazilian, who had a trial at Arsenal at the age of 15, says he came to London after a couple of months of Edu being settled in the job but claims he did not become an Arsenal academy player just because his father worked there so it was easy to get in because like any-other youth player, he still had to take the trial.
Luigi told us ‘I liked a tweet about Camavinga recently and fans went crazy but just because I like a tweet doesn’t mean they are joining Arsenal.’
When we mentioned the signing of Gabriel Magalhaes, Luigi laughed and admitted ‘yes I do post to Twitter before an announcement’ and added that he ‘knew about the signing of certain players’ that have joined Arsenal whilst Edu has been Technical Director.
When we asked him about whether he had heard anything on James Maddison or if he knew anything about players that could join Arsenal this summer he said ‘I don’t know, I don’t ask my dad this’.
Luigi Gaspar told Gooner Talk ‘I have been out with a Hamstring injury for the past eight months’ but has been told by Dan Micciche, the Arsenal Under 18s Head Coach, that he will feature on Tuesday for ’30 minutes against Slough FC’ in their next pre-season fixture.
Luigi was on tenterhooks to raise the fact that he sees the abuse his father gets on social media but says it is not needed, giving the example that ‘my dad spends more time on the phone than he does with the family during a holiday.’
The abuse certainly should not be directed to Edu’s family, whether that is his wife or children but even the abuse Edu Gaspar gets is uncalled for. Criticism? Yes. Abuse? No.
