Arsenal ‘close’ to signing new Sporting Director from La Liga

Former Atletico Madrid Sporting Director Andrea Berta has barely been out of work for a week, but is already closing in on a new job. The Italian, who spent 11 years at the club in various roles, was let go by Los Rojiblancos on the 5th of January.

According to Onda Cero, as carried by Relevo, Berta is close to signing for Arsenal as Edu’s replacement in the role. Relevo confirm that he is a frontrunner for the position, and that after several weeks of probing the market for a replacement, Berta has emerged as one of the favourites. Other options for Arsenal include Real Sociedad’s Roberto Olabe, who has confirmed he will leave at the end of the season.

🚨🔴⚪️ The first half of La Liga is complete, and Atlético Madrid are the “winter champions.” The last three times this happened, they went on to win La Liga:

– 2020/21– 2013/14– 1995/96

Diego Simeone was involved in all three, either as a coach or a player.@PedroFullanaSER pic.twitter.com/zg08FvUuax

— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) January 13, 2025

Berta has previously attracted interest from Manchester United, and is generally regarded as having done good work at Atletico, playing a key role in the arrival of Antoine Griezmann both times. Taking the Sporting Director job in 2017, Berta’s work has been questioned in recent years, reportedly leading to disagreements with manager Diego Simeone, none bigger than Joao Felix, who was a Berta recruit.