Andrea Berta will soon begin his new role as Arsenal’s sporting director, and his first task will be to complete a signing which has been on the cards for months
Incoming Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta has been tasked with seeing the signing of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi over the line.
The Gunners have already completed the framework of a deal but the prospect of a late intervention from Champions League quarter-final opponents Real Madrid is not yet totally out of the question, even if the extent of their potential interest has been somewhat sensationalised in the Spanish media within the past week. Arsenal, who have been tracking the Euro 2024 winner for the best part of 18 months, began to step up discreet negotiations for former Liverpool target Zubimendi following the capture of Mikel Merino last August, long before the impending arrival of ex-Atletico Madrid chief Berta.
Internally, the transfer is deemed as good as done but there is still a small element of risk that Real Madrid could yet turn the player’s head – providing they also meet his £51million release clause.
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Naturally, Arsenal are attentive to the situation but maintain confidence the defensive midfielder is heading to the Emirates Stadium this summer given the huge body of work that has already gone into the move.
Mikel Arteta’s side could yet pay slightly above Zubimendi’s release clause but instead spread the cost of the deal over more favourable payment terms to protect their balance sheet. This strategy is not unusual in the ever-challenging PSR era.
Carlo Ancelotti’s uncertain future at the Bernabeu may also impact Zubimendi’s future amid renewed interest from Brazil as Xabi Alonso would be among the top picks to replace the Italian – should he leave his post at the end of the season. Alonso, who Zubimendi has previously described as his “idol”, worked with the Spain international during his time in charge of Real Sociedad B and played a vital role in his development.
While Berta, who tried to sign the Spain international at Atletico in 2023, is believed to have informally started his new role several weeks ago, detailed discussions are now set to take place with Arteta and the Arsenal hierarchy over their summer transfer plans and those meetings will take place regularly between now and the end of the season.
The club already have a clear understanding and grasp of how they wish to attack the upcoming market, however, fresh input from experienced operator Berta will be welcomed as he’ll be tasked with executing deals for Arteta’s top targets. It’s understood work on some of those arrivals has already begun.
If Zubimendi is formally unveiled as a new Gunners player this summer as anticipated, Berta will likely receive notable praise for his impact but in truth, the hard yards on that specific deal were done many months ago towards the back end of 2024 by Arteta, Edu before his departure, Jason Ayto, James Ellis, Richard Garlick and Tim Lewis, respectively.
At this stage, suggestions the Italian will also push for the signing of Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes are premature. Historically, there is great admiration for the Brazilian within Arsenal but to date, there has been no concrete indication he is among the names they’ll be pursuing this summer.
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