Andrea Berta has started his role at Arsenal as sporting director with the depiction of a master negotiator. He is a different character to Edu Gaspar, and by design.
The Italian has a set of expectations almost entirely separate to those of Edu when he arrived. He is here to take Arsenal to the next level and to help them win trophies. Edu started out with a cultural reset as his main focus.
It makes sense, therefore, that Berta does things in a different manner. He is not here to weed out the bad eggs or to put in place a system that helps Mikel Arteta. Instead, he is on board as a figure who helped elevate a strong defensive unit into grizzly trophy-hungry warriors.
Arsenal have the foundations of this and are now seeking to take the final step. The stride towards silverware and being victorious. It is the last but also maybe the biggest one left for Arsenal, who have done everything else so efficiently and well until now.
Berta is picking up the pieces left in neat order by Edu. His methods look immediately different. He is there at training sessions with his sunglasses on, appearing like a newly retired dad on holiday.
He attends press conferences, chilling with an air of authority. Berta has the shine of command around him having been there and done it with Atletico Madrid.
Now at Arsenal, he is spinning plates across the transfer market, putting the hard yards in for multiple deals at once. The tactic is to explore more than one avenue before honing in on a final target. The logic suggests that Arsenal can remain diligent and on top of more activity across the window.
They can work out the financials before overcommitting to one player or another. Berta and Arteta remain flexible but firmly on a course of action to address the squad's needs.
So far it is yet to be truly rewarded with tangible evidence but that does not mean that it is not working. After all, Arsenal's rivals may well be acting quicker but not necessarily towards the same targets.
Arsenal have not lost out on any of their priority players because of Berta's plan and they had no such demand to complete deals before the June 10 deadline ahead of the Club World Cup like Manchester City and Chelsea. They haven't needed the rebuild with a new manager like Real Madrid.
There is no real worry, then. Arsenal's shortlist across the pitch is pretty well defined. In goal it has emerged that Kepa Arrizabalaga is in line to join from Chelsea on a bargain deal. Martin Zubimendi is locked in as the midfield arrival, and one of Viktor Gyokeres or Benjamin Sesko looks set to be the striker.
On the wing there is more uncertainty. Will an actual move for the expensive Nico Williams be made? If not the Athletic Club man, then could it be Rafael Leao or Rodrygo?
The other question marks are over a second midfielder should Thomas Partey not extend his contract and whether an extra centre-back will be sought. Finding depth to add will also be important with a host of fringe players having the potential to leave.
Arteta really needs players he can trust and turn to more often after leaving Raheem Sterling, Jakub Kiwior, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Kieran Tierney, Gabriel Jesus, and Jorginho largely out of his plans even when they were fit. Bolstering the quality behind the starting XI is another key task for Berta.
What really comes to attention now is that Berta must become a decision-maker just as much as a negotiator. He has cast his net to keep prospective new players interested in a transfer but the mini window break is a time for finalising and moving forward.
Arsenal Sporting Director Andrea Berta is leading the club's transfer plans this summer
Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta is leading the club's transfer plans this summer (Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Arsenal will be keen to have as much work done as possible before the end of June with pre-season starting three weeks later. That is still a month down the line but you can never be too early with this sort of thing.
From there, things happen thick and fast with three games in eight days across Singapore and Hong Kong. There is then only two weeks before the start of the Premier League. Factoring in travel and preparations to be done in north London before travelling out to Asia, Arsenal know the value of acting fast.
In reality, we are still extremely early on in the summer window but, given the size and importance of what is ahead for Arsenal, they will be eyeing a strong start. Gathering momentum with new signings before pre-season gets underway can propel a team.
This leaves Berta with the clear challenge of picking exactly where Arsenal are going to pitch themselves. Will it be a bid for Sesko when the window opens again on June 10, or do they want to go with Viktor Gyokeres?
Is now the time to test the waters of Real Madrid with Rodrygo or will Newcastle United's resolve over Anthony Gordon be battered down? These are the questions Arsenal entered the transfer window with. It has only been 11 days to this point, but Berta has been working on things for two-and-a-half months.
Now is the time to whittle down the shortlist and get to action. The background work has been done, now Berta must put his negotiating into practice by firming up the primary targets. It will be a change for Berta but only in a role he has been hired to carry out at an elite level.