'Arsenal need a winning mentality' - Edu outlines his plans for Gunners

Edu wants to bring a “strong mentality” to Arsenal, with the club’s new technical director looking for the club to “fight for winning”.

The Gunners have slipped off the pace domestically and in Europe over recent years.

Three successive seasons have delivered finishes outside of the Premier League’s top four, meaning that no Champions League football has been taken in.

Unai Emery did guide the club to the Europa League final last season, but four FA Cup successes under Arsene Wenger remain the only triumphs since Arsenal last tasted title glory in 2003-04.

Edu, who formed part of that ‘Invincibles’ squad, has been returned to north London to help oversee matters off the field and deliver a reversal in fortune on it.

The Brazilian has told the club’s official website on how he plans to set about that task: “To work with a strong mentality, you don't do it like that [instantly]. You build a good mentality.

“When you talk about mentality, it's not only the players. The club has to have the same mentality of the players. We have to have the same mentality, and the mentality of Arsenal, we always had to have winning in front of us. That's football. That's the real world.

“When you're talking about good jobs, doing other things, without results I'm not sure [it works]. It's unfair maybe, but the reality is like that.

“We have to fight very hard for results and we have to understand the real world, where you live and where you are right now.

“So we are at Arsenal, we are a big club, and we have to understand the situation. Winning... fight for winning, and how do you do that? We have to prepare ourselves. How? By working hard, by giving everything, giving us [a chance] to be better and better, and working really hard to be where the club wants to be.”

The immediate goal for Arsenal is to force their way back into the Premier League’s leading pack and to then build from that platform.

Edu added on his hopes for the next 12 months: “I'm not saying [it’s a] dream, but [we need to be] focused to be fighting for the Champions League again.

“Of course that's our target. To make the squad even stronger.

“I want to see the fans enjoying, as before, the club even more. I know how they live the club, how they love the club and we have to give them something back so they can enjoy again the club.”