Report: Why Arsenal did not hire Dan Ashworth after his Man Utd exit and opted for Andrea Berta instead

Arsenal have just announced the arrival of Andrea Berta.

The Italian has been named Sporting Director at the Emirates Stadium, a vacancy Arsenal needed to fill after Edu Gaspar suddenly resigned back in November, and arrives with an impressive CV which includes signings such as Rodri, Julian Alvarez, Antoine Griezmann and Jan Oblak.

Dan Ashworth was also linked to Arsenal following his own surprise departure from Manchester United in December – a highly respected Sporting Director who the Red Devils paid £4.1m to take from Newcastle.

The Englishman was seemingly easier for Arsenal to hire than Berta – who had a contract with Atletico Madrid – but a report from The Athletic has now shared why the Gunners did not appoint Dan Ashworth.

Dan Ashworth was not interested in Arsenal

The 54-year-old boasts a fantastic CV, signing the likes of Kaoru Mitoma, Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister for Brighton, along with Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon for Newcastle.

However, The Athletic state that Ashworth withdrew himself from the running as Arsenal searched for a new Sporting Director, as he is keen to pursue other opportunities.

Despite boasting a strong relationship with Richard Garlick – Managing Director at Arsenal – from their time together at West Brom, a detail which The Athletic claim made him a favourite to replace Edu, a move to N5 was never a personal preference.

Andrea Berta already seems to have a signing lined up

Jorginho could join Flamengo when his contract expires this summer, so Mikel Arteta may need a new central midfielder.

Berta already appears to have done plenty of groundwork on a replacement, as Arsenal expect Martin Zubimendi to join them this summer – according to David Ornstein – having worked on the deal for several months.

If the Spain international – one of Europe’s best holding midfielders – does arrive at the Emirates Stadium, it would be a fantastic way for Berta to immediately endear himself to Arsenal fans.