Berta has been viewed by Arsenal as the top candidate to replace Edu in recent weeks and on Tuesday, TEAMtalk confirmed he was the leading contender among five for the sporting director role. Now, there has been further progress and it’s almost time for him to put pen to paper and get to work.
In an update on Sunday morning, Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Berta ‘will sign his contract’ with Arsenal ‘early next week’.
Several clubs showed interest in the former Atletico Madrid mastermind, but Romano explains he ‘gave total priority’ to Arsenal and now ‘all documents are in place’ for the move to become official.
Berta was responsible for some game-changing signings in the Spanish capital, so Arsenal fans will be hoping he can replicate that in north London.
And it appears he already has his eyes on some of the first bits of business he could pull off. Per an update from Give Me Sport, Berta is ready to lean on his LaLiga contact book.
As confirmed by Ben Jacobs, two Spanish players on Arsenal’s radar are Athletic Club winger Nico Williams and Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi.
Links with Zubimendi have been picking up steam since late January. The deep-lying playmaker rejected the chance to join Liverpool last summer and TEAMtalk has confirmed that Arsenal have a broad agreement with him for the next transfer window.
Williams, meanwhile, would represent an upgrade on the left wing, although like Zubimendi, he must be convinced to leave the only club he’s played for in his career so far.
Berta tasked with big striker signing
While those two members of Spain’s successful Euro 2024 squad would be exciting signings for Arsenal, there’s no doubting that the main task on Berta’s agenda will be to bring in a top-class centre-forward.
Arsenal need a new no.9 to seriously compete for the Premier League title next season. On that front, Jacobs has named Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak and RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko as two targets that appeal.
Sesko should be the more straightforward signing, since Arsenal have already been doing their work on him and he can leave Leipzig via a release clause, which will range from anywhere between £58m and £66m.
In contrast, Newcastle are standing firm over Isak’s future and sources state they are even eager to extend his contract.
There have been claims elsewhere that Arsenal are lining up a deal for Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, who’s currently on loan at Galatasaray, but it remains to be seen how serious those links are.
Besides, Osimhen has plenty of interest from other clubs too and the choice would be his if anyone activates his £62m release clause.
Latest Arsenal transfer news
It’s not just in the attacking areas that Arsenal are exploring their options. Reports have also tipped them to move for a Brazilian right-back.
Arsenal have also been credited with an interest in Real Madrid centre-back Raul Asencio, which has led to the player giving a message to his agent.
And in terms of outgoings, Arsenal are awaiting a decision from Barcelona about a move for Thomas Partey – a player Berta sold to the Gunners from Atletico in 2020.
How would Arsenal use Zubimendi?
Martin Zubimendi was a name on everyone’s lips last summer, when he was heavily targeted by Liverpool and enjoyed being part of Spain’s successful Euro 2024 squad.
This year, it’s Arsenal who are eyeing a deal for the metronomic deep-lying playmaker, who could be the next piece of the puzzle in their midfield evolution.
When Arsenal finished as runners-up in the Premier League for the first time since Mikel Arteta became manager, their strong midfield anchoring pair of Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey was a major contributing factor.
But, in that summer of 2023, Arsenal let Xhaka go and broke their club transfer record to sign Declan Rice from West Ham in his place.
But even though they paid a nine-figure sum for Rice, their subsequent business has shown that his arrival was not intended as the finishing touch in that area of the pitch.
One year later, Arsenal were buying Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad, and now they’re trying to convince Zubimendi to make the same move.
If it seems like a luxury move given what they’ve done in the position already, it is not. In Zubimendi, Arsenal would be buying a player perfect for their philosophy under Arteta.
He excels in possession, acting as a funnel to move the ball to fellow creative midfielders, but also in winning duels, making him a superb option to sit in the deepest midfield role.
Rice has variably played as a no.6 or a no.8 for Arsenal, but he should be able to form a good partnership with a player of Zubimendi’s traits, perhaps in a double pivot or a 4-3-3 with Martin Odegaard as the most advanced midfielder.
In that 4-3-3, Zubimendi would likely sit at the base of the midfield and Rice would be a no.8, with Odegaard obviously having the most attacking freedom of the trio. Zubimendi could then break up play and dictate possession at the start of Arsenal’s movements.
It can’t be taken for granted that he would immediately adapt to the Premier League, but his tactical intelligence should make him a solid fit for what Arteta is trying to build.
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