Andrea Berta is officially Arsenal’s sporting director after weeks of speculation.
Edu Gaspar stunned Mikel Arteta by packing up and leaving Arsenal in November, commencing the hunt for his successor.
Jason Ayto filled in as interim before it was announced that Arsenal appointed Berta to succeed Edu, welcoming the Italian after his departure from Atletico Madrid.
After leaving Atletico in January, Berta turned down jobs in favour of Arsenal, with the businessman now ready to get stuck in at the Emirates.
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What Andrea Berta did before being unveiled at Arsenal
Some Arsenal fans are already won over by Berta, who has signed some top strikers during his career.
Amid the Gunners’ desperate search for a number nine, the Italian’s expertise will come in handy, something noted by Josh Kroenke.
Kroenke highlighted Berta’s experience when explaining why the former Atletico man was Arsenal’s top candidate, in what was a thorough recruitment process.
Though Berta’s arrival was announced ahead of the return of domestic football following the March international break, the 53-year-old took it upon himself to make himself known in North London beforehand.
That’s according to The Athletic, who noted that before the sporting director was unveiled, Berta started to introduce himself to members of Arsenal’s hierarchy.
It was written that the Italian is a ‘good communicator’, specifically in his native language and Spanish; however, his English ‘needs considerable work’ before he really gets going.
Having won over Kroenke and also Arteta, who The Athletic reports was eager to get Berta on side, Arsenal’s new sporting director has already begun the transition to his new role.
Three notable Berta signings at Atletico Madrid
Though the Italian has no experience in England to his name, Berta has overseen some Premier League deals during his career.
One of the sporting director’s most notable transfers at Atletico was the signing and sale of Rodri, capturing the midfielder for £16.5m and selling him to Manchester City for £62.5m.
On the topic of sizeable profits, Berta was responsible for the signing of Antoine Griezmann in 2014, whom he eventually sold for £78m more than his purchase price.
Aside from making profit, the businessman isn’t afraid to splash the cash, making a nine-figure purchase in 2019 with his capture of Joao Felix.
The Italian’s experience won over those at Arsenal, with hope that Berta can record similar success in N5 as he did in Madrid.
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