Partey sold, Ballon d’Or winner, £65m Man City star – Andrea Berta transfers amid Arsenal links

Of Atletico Madrid’s two Spanish league title’s this century, one man has been at the forefront of it all. Diego Simeone. You can’t miss him.

Behind the scenes there are plenty at play, weaving their magic to keep Madrid in competition with two of the world’s biggest teams. Someone now of immediate interest to Arsenal is a lesser known figure: Andrea Berta.

From scout to sporting director across 14 years, the Italian – who has previously been at Parma and Genoa – is one of those who has helped to form some of Madrid’s best squads. Building on a foundation of defensive solidity, togetherness, discipline, and hard work, Berta and Simeone have had great success.

Since becoming technical director in 2013, Madrid have reached two Champions League finals, won La Liga twice, lifted the UEFA Super Cup and Europa League, also claiming the Spanish Super Cup. They have consistently fought with the best and richest, making a two-team league a genuine three-horse race at times.

Berta’s departure from the Metropolitano was announced last month but he leaves with Madrid right in the mix to be crowned champions again. Since his arrival they have only ever fallen out of the top three once and never below fourth. Compare that to just one top three finish before he was promoted to sporting director.

He has now been linked heavily with the vacant role left by Edu Gaspar at Arsenal. Since the surprise exit earlier this season a process has been continued to ensure Arsenal fill it well.

Jadon Ayto stepped up to manage the January transfer window but no final decision has yet been made, football.london understands. Tomas Rosicky is not a leading candidate as has been reported previously, whilst Real Sociedad chief Roberto Olabe talks have quietened.

Ayto remains under consideration. Luis Campos is appreciated across the European scene. Chelsea are not set to appoint him in a role at the head of BlueCo’s recruitment, football.london has also been told.

But what to make of Berta? On the face of it his work is extremely impressive. Not only has he been involved in an extremely successful period for the club but it has been founded upon an aligned vision.

Arsenal may well be attracted to the way in which he helped form a squad of players the manager was and has been able to rely upon. Only last summer he spent more than £65million on Julian Alvarez, a deal working out well.

At the same time, Madrid banked a net profit on Joao Felix as they saw Conor Gallagher come in. Both Alvarez and Gallagher fit Simeone’s mould and have played key roles in the season to date.

The question that remains is also around Felix. When he was signed in 2019 for £113million it was designed to modernise Madrid’s style of play into a more attacking unit. Simeone and Felix never truly worked, predictably. They have made good money back for the 25-year-old, though, after loans at Barcelona and Chelsea before the permanent move to Stamford Bridge in the summer.

Being able to cut ties and negotiate well is just one part of the role as sporting director and Madrid’s ability to get the best out of Antoine Grizemann on two occasions is of note. Berta was on hand when he was sold for over £100million in 2019 and managed to get him back on loan before a permanent return in 2023.

For a snip of the price, Madrid have seen Griezmann excel on their books whilst struggling elsewhere. It is a smart play in the transfer market.

The summer of 2019 was a massive one, too. Griezmann left and Madrid went on to generate nearly £300million in player sales. Lucas Hernandez and Rodri were sold, so was Gelson Martins for a large fee, and they were replaced by much cheaper alternatives who had a good time in the Spanish capital.

Outside of Felix, Marcos Llorente, Kieran Trippier, Renan Lodi, Hector Herrera, Mario Hermoso, and Felipe have all had serviceable careers. Llorente, in particular, has been a brilliant buy.

There have been shrewd signings, like picking up Rodri when he was still young, as well as the occasional neat profit made as well. Matheus Cunha was signed and sold within three years at a healthy margin whilst Thomas Partey also brought in a significant fee. The work to loan and secure Alvaro Morata also had a positive impact.

Thomas Lemar’s purchase for over £60million is one of the few red flags from Berta. He is by no means a pushover in transfer discussions either, and has the experience of working at a top club.

For Arteta, although Berta is Italian he has worked in Spain for over 10 years, helping any potential language barrier. It is the way he has built the floor up for squads and worked so closely with a pragmatic manager like Simeone which may well be of most interest.