Andrea Berta is about to make exactly the same mistake Edu made with £34m Arsenal player

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Andrea Berta is at risk of falling into a trap that Edu Gaspar fell into at Arsenal only last summer.

The sporting director is focused on sales at the moment, but he’s not willing to settle for less.

Berta doesn’t want to succumb to other clubs’ requests, wanting to sell players for their asking price rather than negotiate to knock millions off the final fee. 

As a result, Arsenal are struggling to offload some players, with Fabio Vieira one who needs to be moved on. 

• READ MORE: ‘Exceptional’ star has surely now played his final game for Arsenal as European giants step up interest

Arsenal haven’t learned their lesson with Fabio Vieira

Vieira spent the 2024/25 season on loan back at his former club FC Porto and has now returned to Arsenal to work out his next steps. 

It’s understood that VfB Stuttgart want to sign Vieira, but there’s a stark difference in valuation between the two clubs.

Arsenal want over £20m to let the player go, though there’s the chance that the Portuguese playmaker could leave on another route. 

Vieira could join Stuttgart on a loan with a £17m obligation to buy, if certain performance conditions are met.

It’s a dangerous game for Arsenal to play, particularly after what happened when Edu sanctioned a similar deal for Vieira last summer. 

Upon signing Vieira on loan in August 2024, Porto’s president, Andre Villas-Boas, insisted that he would be a hit for the Dragons.

“We are very satisfied. We know perfectly well what he’s worth, his ability. The manager specifically requested his return.

“Fabio’s desire, the relationship he has with the club, the home, the fans, and the entire historic symbolism of his return.

“We’re not talking about a player who needs to adapt; he’s ready and knows the responsibility of wearing the FC Porto jersey. We’re confident he’ll perform very well.”

Months passed by, and by the end of the season, it became clear that Porto didn’t want to sign Vieira, but even with such recent evidence to suggest loans don’t always work out, Arsenal haven’t learned their lesson. 

Risk or not, Vieira needs to go

Vieira left Porto having scored four goals in 26 games in the Portuguese top flight, which was adequate, but nothing to rave about. 

The Dragons went into the market and signed an attacking midfielder, saying all that needed to be known about what they thought about keeping Vieira on.

Having seen how the playmaker failed to wow last season, it’s a tremendous risk for Arsenal to count on offloading the player through a performance-based obligatory deal.

The bottom line is, Arsenal need to get their £34m signing gone this summer, as it’s clear that he’s not in Mikel Arteta’s plans.

In 49 appearances for Arsenal, Vieira has scored only three goals, two of them coming in the Premier League.