Andrea Berta is set to become the new sporting director at Arsenal following a 12-year spell with Atletico Madrid, and could arrive in North London by the end of the weekend.
Here is everything you need to know about the Italian executive and his career to date.
Arsenal have been without a sporting director since November, when Edu Gaspar resigned in order to take on a new role under Evaneglos Marinakis, who owns Nottingham Forest and Olympiakos.
Berta, who has spent the last 12 years with Atletico Madrid but left in January, will be to be the man to replace Edu at The Emirates.
Who is Andrea Berta?
Berta has been involved as a sporting director for close to 20 years, dating back to his first job with Parma in 2007. Originally from Brescia, Berta has a background in banking and also worked as a director for local side Carpenedolo up until 2006.
Berta’s first full-time job within a professional set-up came at Parma in 2007, where the team suffered relegation from Serie A in their first season, before earning promotion through a second-placed Serie B finish the following season.
In 2009, Berta swapped Parma for Genoa, where he worked with current Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini and brought in the likes of Hernan Crespo and Rodrigo Palacio to replace Diego Milito, who had just left for Inter at that point.
His time with Genoa lasted three years, up until the end of the 2011-12 season.
Then, in 2013, Berta was offered the opportunity to join Atletico Madrid as technical director, where he worked alongside Diego Simeone for the entirety of his 12-year tenure.
Atleti won the LaLiga title during Berta’s first full season in Madrid and also reached the Champions League final at the end of that campaign, where they would go on to lose 4-1 in extra time to rivals Real Madrid.
That would not be the only time Atleti won the league or qualified for the Champions League final during Berta’s time, though.
Atletico Madrid honours with Berta
- La Liga: 2013-14, 2020-21.
- Copa del Rey: 2012-13.
- Supercopa de España: 2013-14
- Champions League: Runners-up in 2013-14, 2015-16.
- Europa League: 2017-18.
- UEFA Super Cup: 2012-13, 2018-19.
Among Berta’s crowning achievements as a director are his signings of six World Cup champions in Antoine Griezmann, Lucas Hernandez, Thomas Lemar, Rodrigo De Paul, Angel Correa and Nahuel Molina.
Berta was also responsible for bringing in all five of Atleti’s most expensive signings of all time: Joao Felix, Julian Alvarez, Thomas Lemar, Diego Costa and Conor Gallagher.
Among his best value-for-money signings are future Ballon d’Or winner Rodri (€20m from Villarreal), Jan Oblak (€16m from Benfica), Griezmann (€30m from Real Sociedad) and Luis Suarez (€9m from Barcelona).
Since leaving Atletico in January of this year, Berta has also been linked with a move to Milan, who are also on the search for a sporting director. The 53-year-old has never worked for a ‘big club’ in his homeland, despite running one of the world’s most recognisable organisations for over a decade. The Rossoneri, however, look set to appoint either Igli Tare or Fabio Paratici.
He’s a traitor to his country is what he is.