Arsenal haven’t looked back since hiring Andrea Berta, but now, the Italian could take some inspiration from his predecessor.
Berta has already done things that Edu Gaspar didn’t at Arsenal, firstly by acting proactively in the transfer window.
The Gunners wouldn’t have landed Berta had Edu not departed in November, as the Brazilian left to take on a greater role elsewhere.
Arsenal fans are wowed by Berta and certainly won’t be thinking about Edu’s tenure, but the Italian might just seek some inspiration from the former sporting director.
Edu pulled off some fabulous transfers at Arsenal and also had some real failures.
One of the former player’s best pieces of business was signing Gabriel Magalhaes from LOSC Lille at a time when the Brazilian was wanted by a number of Premier League clubs.
In 2020, the Daily Mail reported that Tottenham had launched a £27m bid to sign Gabriel, with the Lilywhites wanting to bring the former Lille star to N17.
Edu beat off competition to sign the centre-back, a route Berta will be eager to take this summer.
Just like five years ago, Arsenal now find themselves in a transfer battle with their North London rivals, as Tottenham want to sign Eberechi Eze.
Eze prefers a move to Arsenal, which gives Berta the upper hand, but Spurs won’t stop fighting for his signature for that reason alone.
Arsenal fans are desperate to see Eze snub Spurs to sign for the Gunners, but Berta has to play his cards right, just as Edu did to take Gabriel from their rivals’ grasp.
Edu fought for Gabriel and delivered one of his best-ever signings at Arsenal, something Berta signing Eze could replicate this summer.
Gabriel’s success at Arsenal is quite staggering, mostly down to the 27-year-old’s dedication to grow as a player and an asset to Arteta.
Aside from watching what the Brazilian does on the pitch, another indication of Gabriel’s growth is the hike in his market value.
Transfermarkt listed the defender’s market value as €28m when he signed for Arsenal, a figure that has more than doubled since.
Today, Gabriel has a market value of €75m, being the second-most valuable centre-back in the Premier League behind William Saliba.
Arsenal have seen the success they’ve had from beating their rivals to Gabriel, and now, Berta must repeat the feat by winning the race for Eze.
