Andrea Berta, Arsenal’s sporting director, has been accused of “dishonesty” by former Chelsea and Atlético Madrid midfielder Saúl Ñíguez, who alleges mishandling of his exit from the Spanish club. The criticism comes amid Berta’s first year in charge of player recruitment at the Emirates.
Saúl, now at Flamengo, recounted the events in a recent interview with Cadena SER, stating:
“In this case, the sporting director, Andrea Berta, was not totally honest with me, and I have even seen evidence. He denied this, but I have seen evidence. I told him not to lie to me.”
He described how Berta had initially informed him he was no longer part of Atlético’s plans, and expressed disappointment over the lack of direct communication:
“It’s difficult to say to a player who has been with you … ‘Next year I’d rather you are not here’ … he would have sat down with me … and we would have looked for a solution.”
Saúl claims he had shown loyalty lowering his salary and accepting promissory payments, yet was blindsided by what he sees as misrepresentation.
While Berta has presided over impressive deals for Arsenal, including Eberechi Eze, Martin Zubimendi, and Viktor Gyokeres, these allegations now cast a shadow over his reputation.
Arsenal have not issued a public response. As these claims attract scrutiny, Berta’s role and relationships may come under increasing pressure.