Before his move to Arsenal was confirmed, sporting director Andrea Berta was said to be explicit about working closely with Mikel Arteta.
In his first summer transfer window, Berta won over Arsenal fans so much that they didn’t recognise their club.
Eight top-quality signings and around £250 million spent, Berta made his desire to take the Arsenal squad to the next level, considerably bolstering Arteta’s depth.
The new signings were a statement, but the Italian’s eagerness to transform Arsenal into a team fighting on all four fronts was evident long before the summer transfer window opened.
Imagine you are Andrea Berta. Who is your top target for Arsenal in the summer transfer window?
Andrea Berta was desperate to drive Arsenal to success alongside Mikel Arteta
It was on March 30th 2025, that Arsenal unveiled Berta as their new sporting director, a hire that was incredibly exciting given his work at Atletico Madrid.
Arsenal were excited by Berta, and it’s fair to say that the idea of joining the Gunners thrilled the sporting director.
A new insight from The Athletic has revealed what drove the Italian to join Arsenal.
“In some cases, the role of sporting director is focused on the long-term, but Berta was explicit about coming to Arsenal to work closely with Arteta, to win, and to do so immediately.”
Berta made it clear from the off that he wished to work closely with Arteta to deliver success to North London, and thus far, he’s on track to achieve his immediate wish.
What makes Andrea Berta a unique sporting director
Berta took over from Edu Gaspar, arriving with vastly more experience on the sporting director front, but not in other areas.
What grade are you giving Andrea Berta? Explain your answers!
When the Italian was hired, Guillem Balague actually told BBC Sport what makes Berta so unique.
“He’s quite unique compared to other sporting directors; he had no playing career, started in banking, and only got into football later.”
Unlike Edu, who was a professional footballer before anything else, Berta’s interest wasn’t always football, but that doesn’t seem to matter.
Perhaps that uniqueness is why things are working for him at Arsenal, as his initial short-term goals broke the norm of transfer windows delivering long-term impact.
Arsenal haven’t looked back since hiring Berta, who has handed Arteta a squad so brimming with talent that the Gunners still have a quadruple in their sights.
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