Paul Merson pinpoints key area Andrea Berta must replicate from what Edu did at Arsenal

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Andrea Berta’s reign as Arsenal’s new sporting director has commenced.

Edu Gaspar left Arsenal in November, with the Gunners undertaking a meticulous process of assessing multiple candidates to replace the Brazilian over the ensuing months.

Berta emerged as the leading contender, and the Italian was appointed in late March to oversee the next iteration of Mikel Arteta’s project.

The former Atletico Madrid administrator will already be mapping out Arsenal’s transfer plans ahead of the summer, with several links to several players hotting up since his appointment.

• READ MORE: Arsenal receive Gabriel Magalhaes injury verdict ahead of Champions League clash with Real Madrid

Paul Merson reveals what Andrea Berta must do that Edu did successfully at Arsenal

Arsenal appointed Berta last week, and since his arrival, speculation about who he might bring to the Emirates has been rife.

Edu enjoyed a largely successful stint in N5, leading the Gunners’ charge from mid-table mediocrity to perennial title challengers in a matter of years.

The former Arsenal player pulled off a number of impressive signings, including the likes of Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Magalhaes.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Paul Merson claimed that Berta’s most important job at Arsenal will be maintaining the success of the player recruitment from his predecessor.

“I think that’s the main one first, they’ve got to get a centre-forward over the line, I think they’ve got to bring in a top-drawer centre-forward and then go from there,” the pundit said.

“I think that’s the first… I think the quicker they get in the sporting director [Berta], the better. Edu was brilliant at the club, I think they had a lot more successes and not successes with their signings.

“You look at them and you look at Man United and it’s chalk and cheese. They need to get someone in, as long as they work with Arteta, I think that’s important when the manager and the sporting director get on.

“And if they sing off the same hymn sheet, they need a forward. If you’re looking at the moment at the forwards being touted around, they’re all six foot two, they’re all big lads.

“They’re going in that direction. They’re not going for a Jesus again, they’re going for a forward with a bit of presence about them.”

Which strikers has Andrea Berta signed in the past?

As Merson alluded to, the priority will be a striker for Berta in the transfer market, and this signing is what he’ll initially be judged on.

Thankfully for Arsenal, Berta has a largely impressive track record of signing strikers, with the squads he built for Diego Simeone littered with excellent forwards.

The likes of David Villa, Antoine Griezmann, Mario Mandzukic, Diego Costa and Julian Alvarez were all brought to the Spanish capital by Berta, and all of them thrived.

The one stick to beat Arsenal’s new sporting director with was the €126 million signing of Joao Felix, although some reports suggest that he wasn’t the driving force behind the addition of the Portuguese.

Major work is to be done at the Emirates this summer.