Arsenal supporters across the world were shocked when the announcement came through that Edu had left the club.
For a long time, the former Brazilian midfielder seemed to have settled on a job for life at the Emirates Stadium. As Mikel Arteta's right-hand man in the transfer market, the 46-year-old arrived firstly as a technical director before transitioning into the sporting director role.
During his tenure, Edu helped broker deals for the likes of Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice which helped cement the Gunners' place in the title race picture.
After his shock departure last November, the Gunners were left rocked and without a clear leader for transfers in the boardroom.
The January transfer window was always going to be difficult to do business in but a striker was clearly a necessity and that need was overlooked.
Having not found a replacement for Edu before the winter window, Arsenal have taken their time to pick out a replacement and have decided to settle on former Atletico Madrid stalwart Andrea Berta.
Berta spent 11 years in Spain as the right-hand man to Diego Simeone in the transfer window. But after rebuilding Atleti into a challenger in La Liga, Berta decided to walk away in January.
Football.london has taken a closer look at why Berta made that decision.
Why did Berta leave Atletico Madrid?
Berta's contract at the Metropolitano Stadium was due to expire at the end of this season and, in truth, the Italian was already of the mindset that he wanted to try a new challenge.
However, it has been widely reported, including in the Daily Mail, that the changing landscape at the club determined his decision to leave in January.
It is thought that the three-man recruitment team of Berta, Simeone and club director general Angel Gil Marin was coming to an end with the trio no longer having sole authority on transfer business.
Arsenal's new sporting director Andrea Berta
Arsenal's new sporting director Andrea Berta (Image: David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images)
At the first sign of this upheaval, Berta decided to move on and plot his next move.
That move is now Arsenal and it will be interesting to see if Berta is allowed the same, small team to plan transfers as he was afforded in Madrid for all those years. Or, will he have to adapt to working in a bigger set-up at the Emirates Stadium.
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Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus with the Arsenal Therapy Dog Win during the Arsenal Men's team group shoot at London Colney on September 18, 2023
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