Arsenal’s summer transfer window is not just going to be about new signings.
Andrea Berta has already backed Mikel Arteta heavily in the market, but after spending huge sums over the last few years, attention is now turning towards another area where the club must improve.
The Gunners have become excellent at identifying and recruiting players, yet the same cannot be said for their sales.
That appears to be changing under Berta, who has reportedly been working behind the scenes for months to address one of Arsenal’s biggest weaknesses.
What grade are you giving Andrea Berta? Explain your answers!
Andrea Berta has been planning Arsenal player sales since January
Arsenal’s rise under Arteta has been built on smart recruitment.
The arrivals of players like Declan Rice, Jurrien Timber, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Magalhaes have transformed the club and helped turn the Gunners back into champions.
However, building an elite squad is not just about buying well. The best clubs in Europe also know how to sell players at the right time and for the right price.
That is an area where Arsenal have struggled badly for years.
Too many players have left for reduced fees, while others have simply run down their contracts and departed for nothing.
Berta seems to have recognised that issue almost immediately after arriving.
The Athletic claims that from January onwards, the Arsenal sporting director has been actively exploring potential sales ahead of the summer transfer window.
Arsenal also hope that their Premier League title win will strengthen their negotiating position and help them demand premium fees for players who leave the club.
It is exactly the sort of forward planning supporters have been crying out for. Rather than waiting for the transfer window to open, Berta has spent the last five months laying the groundwork to maximise Arsenal’s position in the market.
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Andrea Berta could finally solve Arsenal’s biggest transfer weakness
For all the praise Arsenal deserve for their recruitment, their selling has often been dreadful.
The most embarrassing statistic of all is that the club’s record sale is still Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s £35 million move to Liverpool back in 2017.
That is almost impossible to believe when you consider how many talented players Arsenal have developed and sold since then.
Time and again, the Gunners have accepted low fees, terminated contracts or watched valuable assets leave for nothing.
Berta appears determined to change that, and it is one of the reasons why his appointment feels so important.
If he can turn Arsenal into a club that sells as well as it buys, the Gunners will become an even bigger force in the transfer market and give Arteta an even stronger platform to build on in the years ahead.
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