Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has revealed Arsenal’s “top candidate” to replace former sporting director Edu after four targets were named.
The Gunners have been searching for a new sporting director since Edu announced his shock exit in November before reaching an agreement with Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis to lead his multi-club model.
Edu’s former assistant Jason Ayto was subsequently named Arsenal’s interim sporting director, but the Premier League giants have been in talks with other potential candidates in recent months.
Last week, a report from The Athletic‘s David Ornstein revealed four targets with Arsenal ‘planning to appoint a new sporting director in March’.
‘Ayto remains an option for the full-time post and is joined by the likes of Dan Ashworth, Andrea Berta, Roberto Olabe and Thiago Scuro among those to have been discussed internally or held talks.
‘The process was supported by a recruitment firm initially — helping form, assess and reduce a long list — prior to a smaller group of individuals advancing to interviews with the club hierarchy.’
Berta was named Atletico Madrid’s sporting director in 2017 after initially having a spell as their technical director. He previously had stints at Genoa and Parma in Italy.