Arsenal reach agreement with former Atletico Madrid sporting director | OneFootball

Arsenal have been on the hunt for a new sporting director in recent weeks, and it now appears that their search has come to an end. In the coming days, it is expected that they will finalise an agreement with Andrea Berta.

Berta, who has been without a club since leaving Atletico Madrid in January, has reached an agreement to take over the position left vacant by Edu, Arsenal’s previous sporting director. This has been reported by The Athletic, who say that the Italian beat out several other names to secure the job.

Berta is off the back of an 11-year spell at Atleti, whom he first joined back in 2013 as technical director. Four years later, he was elevated to the position of sporting director, which he held until his departure at the start of 2025.

Photo by Into the Calderon

Berta’s transfer business at Atleti was widely heralded, but in the last 12 months, his relationship with the club broke down after Carlos Bucero was appointed as director of football operations at Los Colchoneros, and he gradually took over multiple role that Berta previously had.

His contract was due to expire at the end of the season, but in January, an agreement was reached for him to leave the Metropolitano six months early. And now two months after becoming a free agent, he is set to be appointed as the new sporting director of Arsenal, which was a position that he prioritised over others across Europe.

It will be interesting to see how Berta gets on at Arsenal, but given his record at Atleti, there is bound to be a significant amount of excitement. Despite this, the pressure will be on him from day one to deliver signings that can help The Gunners secure their first Premier League title since the 2003-04 season.