Edu resigned from Arsenal earlier this season, and now, Berta has been brought in as the Brazilian’s replacement.
Of course, Berta has plenty of work to do, and he’s wasted no time in getting down to business.
Speaking on The Athletic FC Podcast, David Ornstein has been discussing Berta’s transfer plans at Arsenal, and he says that Viktor Gyokeres has moved up Arsenal’s transfer shortlist since the Italian’s arrival at the Emirates.
Viktor Gyokeres moves up Arsenal’s transfer shortlist
Ornstein spoke about Arsenal and their links to Gyokeres.
Arsenal have been linked to Gyokeres for a while, something that Ornstein acknowledges.
However, according to the journalist, something has changed now in that Gyokeres has moved up the club’s transfer shortlist now that Berta has arrived.
“Of course, Gyokeres has been mentioned in relation to Arsenal and many other clubs for quite a long time. We published the story on Sunday evening that Arsenal are developing a strong interest in him and that Andrea Berta has been a huge admirer of him for a long time. That dates back to his time at Atletico Madrid,” Ornstein said.
“People saw that and said, oh, what are they reporting? He’s always been on the radar. What’s changed?
“I think it’s pretty clear what’s changed in that the sporting director who’s arriving rates him extremely highly.
“When you look at the price, in theory, I think people have said around 70 million euros, the salary you would imagine would fit in to Arsenal’s wage structure, which is another issue maybe with Alexander Isak, who’s being paid very well at Newcastle and would want, understandably, a rise.
“What sort of a rise would Arsenal or Liverpool give him that would take him far beyond what Newcastle would be prepared to do?”
“Gyokeres, you would imagine, would fit in. His record at Sporting speaks for itself. People can scrutinise that in the Portuguese League, scrutinise Coventry.
“They can scrutinise his style for Arsenal’s system, et cetera, et cetera. It’s great that we all talk about these things. I don’t know nearly as much as everybody else that’s pontificating on that front, but we have sourced properly that he’s going to be a really strong contender, which, to my understanding previously, was not necessarily the case.
“I don’t think he figured as highly as it looks like he will this summer. That is not saying they’re going to sign him, but clearly he’s one we should be paying close attention to. And I said I’d come back to the point about the other positions.”
Andrea Berta’s signings from Portugal
Berta is a big fan of Gyokeres, and it’s really not hard to understand why.
Indeed, Gyokeres has been scoring for fun over in Portugal, and Gyokeres has been described as ‘unstoppable’ in the past.
However, there is reason to be wary about this signing.
Indeed, big-money players from the Portuguese League don’t always work out, and that’s something Berta knows well.
Berta often dipped into the Portuguese market during his time at Atletico Madrid, and let’s just say not all of his signings worked out.
Andrea Berta’s signings from the Portuguese LeagueJoao FelixFelipeNicolas GaitanGelson MartinsDiogo JotaJan Oblak
Joao Felix was a big-money flop, Nicolas Gaitan didn’t live up to his potential, while Gelson Martins didn’t achieve much in Madrid either.
Jan Oblak was an outstanding signing from Benfica, while Diogo Jota has become a brilliant player, but, Berta’s record on this front is sketchy to say the least.
0 Comments