Working alongside Diego Simeone may have been the perfect preparation for Andrea Berta’s new role as Arsenal’s sporting director.
Berta, whose appointment was confirmed on Sunday, has become accustomed to collaborating with a highly demanding manager of huge authority. Thirteen and a half years into his reign at Atletico Madrid, Simeone is the highest-paid coach in world football. Naturally, his input on squad-building decisions has been significant — and Berta has years of experience learning how and when to manage, placate and push back.
While Arteta has not yet reached Simeone’s level of success, his influence at Arsenal is comparable. Berta’s role will have wide-ranging responsibilities, but a key part of the job will be shaping the squad to Arteta’s specifications.
Edu’s departure in November may have publicly appeared as a bolt from the blue, but Arsenal’s former sporting director had alluded to the possibility of leaving for some time beforehand. In discussions with the Arsenal hierarchy, Edu felt he had made no secret of his ambitions for a more expansive, international role — at Arsenal or elsewhere.
Despite the Brazilian believing he’d made his dilemma clear, there was still some shock at the timing of his resignation. Edu’s decision to leave prompted a flurry of action. Within 24 hours, a statement had been issued and within 48 hours, the Brazilian had cleared his desk at London Colney.
Arsenal then set about the process of finding a replacement.
In theory, they were well-positioned to make such an appointment. Managing director Richard Garlick served as the Premier League’s director of football from 2018 to 2021. Along with high-level operations roles at West Brom at Arsenal, that experience granted him a good working knowledge of the sporting director market.
(Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
From early on, it was clear that manager Arteta would play a role in the process. To many outside Arsenal, that appeared unconventional: at some clubs, the sporting director sits above the coach in the organisational hierarchy. Third parties wondered aloud why Arteta would be “interviewing his boss”.
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Arsenal have never seen it that way. Since Arteta’s promotion to manager in 2020, the organisational structure has shifted somewhat. They were categorical that Edu was not Arteta’s boss and nor would any new appointment be. They see the sporting director and manager roles as a partnership — and the chemistry between Arteta and the new hire would be an integral factor in their decision.
There was a strong internal candidate for consideration: Edu’s deputy, Jason Ayto. The former scout had risen through the ranks to become assistant sporting director, and was now promoted to interim sporting director.
Ayto, who acted as interim sporting director, was a contender for the job (David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
It quickly became clear the recruitment process for a new sporting director would take several months, which meant Ayto playing an important role in helping to coordinate matters such as the January transfer window and the appointment of a new women’s manager.
Despite the degree of trust Arsenal had in Ayto’s abilities, they wanted to carry out a full and thorough external process to ensure they got the best permanent appointment for the role. They worked with a recruitment agency, who led the first part of the process: identifying potential candidates and narrowing that list.
Arsenal specifically wanted a new sporting director, someone to replace Edu’s remit. There was no discussion of reverting to a ‘technical director’ or another diluted role with any candidate.
It was certainly an attractive position. Arsenal’s men’s team have one of the most valuable squads in world football. Much of the required turnover in personnel — the “cleaning” of the squad, as Edu called it — has been done. The task now is retention and refinement. The appeal of working at Arsenal — in London, at a great stadium, with Premier League budgets and alongside a highly regarded manager — was obvious.
(Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Nevertheless, there were some reservations. Several potential candidates expressed concern, rightly or wrongly, that joining Arsenal would simply mean playing a supporting role to Arteta. For those coming from a culture where the sporting director has carte blanche, that was a worry.
It’s a testament to the attractiveness of Arsenal that even those candidates with concerns were prepared to explore the role.
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Several candidates working across Europe were discussed in those initial stages. Some, such as Roberto Olabe of Real Sociedad, had a standing in the game that made them a natural fit. Others, such as Tomas Rosicky, had less experience but a burgeoning reputation and a rich association with the club.
Olabe’s time with La Real seemingly made him a prime candidate for a position at Arsenal. He had given his word to the La Liga club, however, that his focus would remain with them until the summer. It made the timing unworkable, especially with Arsenal keen to make a permanent appointment before the transfer window.
Berta came into focus as a strong candidate when he left Atletico in early January; after 12 years in the Spanish capital, he was ready for a change. The arrival, in January 2024, of Carlos Bucero as Atletico’s football managing director had added another layer to the club’s already complex structure. A year later, Berta’s departure was made official. The 53-year-old Italian committed to spending time in England in the early months of 2025, to improve his English before a potential move to the Premier League.
Throughout the interview process, Berta was clear with those around him that Arsenal was his priority.
A select few candidates who had been filtered through the recruitment agency made it to the latter stages of the process. In the first instance, this meant a meeting with executive vice-chair Tim Lewis, Garlick and Arteta.
Dan Ashworth, formerly of Newcastle and Manchester United, was among the favourites. He has an excellent relationship with Garlick, having been colleagues at West Brom. Ultimately, however, Ashworth withdrew from the process to pursue other opportunities.
Ashworth had previously worked with Garlick (Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)
Thiago Scuro was another on the final shortlist. Scuro had been promoted from sporting director to chief executive at Monaco, and was seen as someone with great breadth of experience.
In the end, Arsenal faced a symbolic choice between Ayto and Berta — between continuity and change. Both men met with co-chairman Josh Kroenke. While Arsenal’s ownership had been involved throughout the process, Josh flew in to play a more active role in the final stages. In the end, the ownership accepted the club recommendation: Berta.
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Arteta’s point of view carried substantial weight in that decision. Having been involved in the latter stages of the process, the Arsenal manager favoured the hiring of Berta.
The decision to go with Berta presented Arsenal with an awkward situation politically. Ayto remained in the post as stories began to break of Berta’s agreement with Arsenal.
That delicate state of affairs was exacerbated by the fact Arsenal hope for Ayto to stay at the club in the long term — he was a strong contender for the post, and the club are keen to retain his skill set. Ayto’s increased profile has attracted interest from elsewhere, and the situation is not yet resolved.
Ultimately, the club plumped for Berta’s experience and profile. It was felt Berta’s strong reputation in Europe would lend Arsenal credibility in the market. The Italian executive is well-connected among influential European agents.
Berta, left, when Atletico signed Kieran Trippier (Gabriel Bouys/AFP via Getty Images)
His time at Atletico will bring a different perspective to Arsenal, at a crucial stage in the project — when the men’s team are looking to make the step to the fifth phase of Arteta’s five-step plan, namely winning major silverware. Berta’s time with Atleti helped the club to two La Liga titles, and two Champions League finals.
Before his announcement, Berta began the process of introducing himself to the existing staff at Arsenal. Although a good communicator in his native Italian and Spanish, Berta’s English still needs considerable work.
That’s another area in which Ayto, who speaks several languages, could provide a link between Berta and the club’s other departments. When it comes to the fine details of negotiations, it is likely Berta will require considerable support from Arsenal’s director of football operations, James King, and head of recruitment James Ellis — at least in the short term.
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The current plan is for Berta to arrive alone and work with Arsenal’s existing recruitment team — including, ideally, Ayto. If Berta intends to adhere to the existing plans, much of the preparation work for the summer has already been carried out. He will, of course, have his own views on players. That could mean plans change.
While supporters have concerns over recent failures to strengthen the attack, the player identification and recruitment Arsenal have done since 2021 has largely been very good. Edu’s work was held in high regard. Arsenal won’t want to throw the baby out with the bathwater and dismantle the framework the Brazilian created.
An appointment of this kind, however, usually brings with it some turnover. The arrival of Edu in 2019 precipitated the dismantling of the previous scouting department. Arsenal don’t currently plan on that kind of departmental overhaul, but much will depend on the chemistry between the existing department and this new appointment.
Most important of all will be the chemistry between Berta and Arteta. In Simeone, Berta has experience working alongside an exacting coach. Their relationship was turbulent at times but ultimately successful. Arsenal will hope for a similar outcome from their new partnership.
(Photos: Getty Images/Design: John Bradford)
