Edu Joins Northampton Town as Senior Advisor Under New Ownership

Northampton Town’s new era under Brazilian ownership will have a familiar Premier League figure in the background, with former Arsenal director of football Edu set to act as a senior advisor to the League Two club’s hierarchy.

The ex-Brazil midfielder, who left his role as Nottingham Forest’s global head of football in September, has quietly re-emerged on the European scene in recent months. He has already joined the board of directors at Bulgarian top-flight side Levski Sofia and will now lend his expertise to Northampton on an ad hoc basis.

The Cobblers, currently 23rd in League Two, were taken over last month by a Brazilian consortium fronted by former AC Milan and Chelsea forward Alexandre Pato. It is a bold, left-field move for a club fighting at the wrong end of the English fourth tier, and one that has quickly drawn attention far beyond Sixfields.

Speaking at an open forum with supporters, co-chairman Joao Xavier outlined how Edu will fit into the new structure. Not as a hands-on operator. Not as a director in the traditional sense. More as a sounding board when the football questions become complex.

Xavier explained that his relationship with Edu began during the Brazilian’s time at Nottingham Forest, when he sought guidance on understanding the nuances of the English game. That connection has now evolved into a formal advisory role, with Edu available to help shape sporting decisions when called upon.

Crucially, Xavier moved to reassure fans wary of becoming a satellite in a sprawling football portfolio. Levski Sofia are owned by London-based investment firm Gemcorp Capital, an investor in Sports Alpha Capital, the group that has taken majority control at Northampton. The links are obvious. The fear of a multi-club web is, too.

Xavier was emphatic. Northampton, he said, will not be absorbed into a multi-club ownership model, and “no other club is part of our project.”

So Edu’s presence will sit at the intersection of those relationships: an experienced operator advising Levski Sofia, working with partners tied to Gemcorp and Sports Alpha Capital, and now offering strategic insight at Northampton. Not every day. Not over every decision. But when the new regime feels it needs a sharper edge in football judgment.

For a club battling to climb away from the League Two trapdoor, having that kind of brain to tap into could prove decisive—or at the very least, a sign of just how ambitious this new chapter intends to be.