According to Fabrizio Romano, Andrea Berta is the leading candidate to take over as sporting director at Arsenal.
The 53-year-old Italian spent more than a decade at Atletico Madrid before his departure was announced in January. Berta moved to the Spanish capital from Genoa, for whom he played, in 2013 and worked his way up the ladder from the scouting department to technical director and then sporting director.
He oversaw several big ticket sales during that period, including Antoine Griezmann to Barcelona (and his return), Xavi Hernandez to Bayern Munich and Rodri to Manchester City.
While he’s not been afraid to splash the cash – Joao Felix joined from Benfica for €127 million in 2019 – most of Atletico’s business has been done for much smaller fees.
It hasn’t come at the expense of success on the pitch. Berta was part of a team that won domestic and European silverware including two La Liga titles, the Europa League and the Uefa Super Cup.
There’s no denying Berta was a very important figure at the Metropolitano Stadium, however, his influence had been on the wane for the best part of a year. Carlos Bucero’s appointment to the Football Managing Director role in January 2024 is said to have caused friction, ultimately leading to the Italian’s exit.
Last week, The Athletic reported that Arsenal wanted to name a permanent successor to Edu in March. The Brazilian quit Arsenal in November and his absence has been covered by interim Jason Ayto.