Arsenal are set to add former Granada sporting director Javier Alonso to Andrea Berta’s recruitment team as the club continues reshaping its football operation.
According to Daily Cannon, citing Matteo Moretto, Alonso has left his role at Granada and is expected to link up with Berta in north London after previously working under him at Atletico Madrid.
The move would give Arsenal another senior European scouting voice at a point when the club are trying to balance title-winning standards with a younger, more flexible squad build.
The timing is pointed. Arsenal have already made Piero Hincapie’s loan move permanent, while Jakub Kiwior’s exit to Porto has sharpened the focus on how Berta intends to trade around Mikel Arteta’s core group.
Mikel Arteta Set For Recruitment Department Boost
Alonso’s background matters because this is not simply another administrative hire. His route through Atletico and Granada points to a profile built around talent identification, market mapping and early-stage player assessment, areas Arsenal have been tightening since Berta’s arrival.
🚨 Arsenal are set to appoint former Granada sporting director Javier Alonso as a key member of their recruitment team after he resigned from the Spanish club earlier this week. 🇪🇸
The 37-year-old previously worked alongside Andrea Berta at Atlético Madrid between 2016 and 2024,… pic.twitter.com/BO73LONkKC
— Arsenal Radar (@ArsenalRadar) July 1, 2026
The Gunners have been linked with left-sided attackers, midfielders and emerging academy-level targets this summer, but the bigger story is structural. Berta appears to be building a recruitment department with stronger continental reach and clearer specialist responsibility.
For Arteta, that could prove significant. Arsenal’s next step is not just about landing one headline signing. It is about finding value before rivals inflate the market, and Alonso’s expected arrival suggests Berta wants more eyes, more judgement and more control behind every deal.