It’s only been four months since Arsenal revealed that Edu Gaspar had resigned as the club’s Sporting Director.
The former invincible had been a vitally important part of the Gunners’ recent resurgence under Mikel Arteta’s tenure, helping the Spaniard bring in some of his team’s stars, like Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard and David Raya.
However, football stops for no one, and since his departure, the North Londoners have been searching for the Brazilian’s replacement ahead of what is set to be a crucial summer.
Fortunately, recent reports have linked former Atlético Madrid Sporting Director Andrea Berta with the vacancy, who was in his post for the club’s last La Liga triumph in 2020/21.
Should Arsenal secure the Italian’s services, he’ll be set for a jam-packed summer in which he must finally axe a big earner in the squad who’s just not justifying his wage.
What Berta needs to do this summer
With how this season has panned out for Arsenal thus far and to ensure the project doesn’t peter out in the coming years, one of the first things Berta, or whoever ends up getting the job, will need to do in the summer is secure the future of two of Arteta’s key players.
Bukayo Saka and William Saliba will have two years left on their deals in the summer, and should they not put pen to paper by winter at the latest, the club will be in a weak position should any other teams begin to show interest.
With that said, bringing in some genuinely game-changing signings will be just as important, with the main area to focus on undoubtedly the attack, and there has been no shortage of links to potential forwards over the last few months.
Alexander Isak would be the most significant statement of intent in this regard, as in just 31 appearances this season, he’s scored 22 goals and provided five assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.14 games.
However, with the Swede supposedly priced at an eye-watering £150m, it might prove more prudent to bring in Benjamin Sesko, who could cost just £65m and has an impressive record of 17 goals and five assists in 34 games this season, despite being just 21 years old.
Appearances
31
34
Minutes
2453′
2488′
Goals
22
17
Assists
5
5
Goal Involvements per Match
0.87
0.64
Minutes per Goal Involvement
90.85′
113.09′
On top of adding to the frontline, both Joshua Kimmich and Martin Zubimendi have been heavily touted for moves to the Emirates this year, with the former’s contract at Bayern Munich expiring in the summer.
The reason Berta would need to bolster the midfield is that the contracts of Thomas Partey and Jorginho will also expire in the summer, and given their ages, it’s probably not wise to extend their stays in North London.
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Lastly, as well as overseeing the exit of those whose contracts are set to run out, the Italian must help move on several players who are no longer needed in the squad, including one who earns considerably more than they should.
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Unfortunately, there are actually a few players within the Arsenal squad who could be sold in the summer without making the team much worse, such as Jakub Kiwior and Takehiro Tomiyasu.
The Polish international has now fallen further down the pecking order at left-back and centre-back, whereas the undeniably talented Japanese defender is simply never fit, and as they say: availability is the best ability.
However, neither one earns a concerning amount of money at the club, which cannot be said for Oleksandr Zinchenko.
The Ukrainian international joined Arteta’s revolution for around £32m in the summer of 2022 and, alongside Gabriel Jesus, was a key reason the club took such a dramatic leap forward that season.
However, for all his ability on the ball, the former Manchester City star couldn’t necessarily be trusted to do his job well enough off of it.
In fact, after being shown up for the second time at Anfield in as many campaigns last December, Gary Neville described the 28-year-old as a “liability”, which would appear to be an opinion Arteta has since agreed with.
For example, the Radomyshl-born star’s minutes played have decreased each season he’s spent in North London, and that’s hardly surprising considering the fact that Riccardo Calafiori, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Jurrien Timber and potentially even Kiwior are all ahead of him in the pecking order.
Season
22/23
23/24
24/25
Appearances
33
35
15
Starts
28
24
4
Minutes
2411′
2082′
462′
Now, if he was on a relatively modest wage, then this wouldn’t be such an issue, but he’s not.
Instead, the 70-capped international is making a whopping £150k-per-week, which, given his level of involvement over the last year or so, seems like far too much.
Moreover, that means he is earning £50k-per-week more than the utterly undroppable Gabriel Magalhaes and £60k-per-week more than the equally important Timber.
Furthermore, when you add his initial transfer fee of £32m to the £20.4m he’s earned in wages since joining the team, then the talented full-back has cost the club a whopping £52.4m, which doesn’t sound like value for money for 83 appearances, two goals and four assists.
Transfer Fee
£32m
Weekly Wage
£150k
Total Wages so far
£20.4m
Total
£52.4m
Appearances
83
Cost per Appearance
£631k
Goals
2
Cost per Goal
£26.2m
Assists
4
Cost per Assist
£13.1m
Goal Involvements
6
Cost per Goal Involvment
£8.7m
In other words, the former City ace has cost the Gunners around £631k-per-appearance, £26.2m-per-goal, £13.1m-per-assist, or £8.7m-per-goal involvement.
Ultimately, Zinchenko is an undeniably talented footballer and was an essential part of Arsenal’s first title charge under Arteta.
Yet, it is abundantly clear that he’s no longer needed in the team, so Berta, or whoever becomes the club’s new Sporting Director, should move him on as soon as possible in the summer.
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