A Berta pick, an Arteta pick

Morning all.

After a flurry of news over the past couple of days, it was pretty quiet yesterday. The BBC report that Andrea Berta was in Lisbon late last week, which would go some way to explaining why there have been developments in the Viktor Gyokeres situation. Clearly, a decision had to be made at some point, and I guess over the last few weeks Arsenal found the position of RB Leipzig over Benjamin Sesko basically intractable.

So, if the negotiation is at a standstill, if pre-season is starting imminently, and you want key pieces of the squad in place ready to go for what is a tough opening period in the new Premier League season, you have to be decisive. That appears to be the case with the Swedish international, and it’s an interesting one to consider when it comes to the decision making dynamics.

His name had been mentioned in relation to Arsenal, but – without wanting to raise eyebrows with my language – there wasn’t anything really concrete (note: this is how this word should actually be used). When Berta was appointed as the club’s new Sporting Director back in March, almost immediately there was a story about how he was keen on the signing Gyokeres. I don’t think it was a case he came in and just started leaking information to friendly journalists, but it was interesting nonetheless.

Arsenal retained interest in Sesko, but added the Sporting man to the mix. Now, a few months later, it looks as if he’ll be the guy to join. I think it’s far too simplistic to say this is one where Berta got his man over Mikel Arteta’s preferred candidate. Decisions like this aren’t made by one individual, and there are all the other considerations that feed into plans being put into action. I suppose there is a world where Arsenal hold out to see if Leipzig blink, but perhaps they never do, at which point Gyokeres has gone somewhere else because he’s tired of waiting around. Then what do you do? Either pay over the odds, or pivot to someone else. All the while, the start of the season edges closer.

Nevertheless, as James said in yesterday’s Arsecast Extra, Arteta usually gets what he wants when it comes to transfers. Which isn’t to say he doesn’t want Gyokeres. I don’t think we’d be actively signing a player he didn’t rate or think could do a job for his team. There’s pressure on the manager to deliver tangible success, so this is a decision he will have been part of, but in terms of the optics it’s one that feels more Berta-aligned.

Perhaps the flip-side of that is the fact the Noni Madueke signing feels very Arteta driven. Again, I find this one interesting because for me he’s an underwhelming player, coming from a club we hate giving money to (unless it’s like £5m for a decent back-up keeper), whose role appears to be primarily that of a back-up but who comes with a price-tag that doesn’t necessarily reflect that. Obviously – and it goes without saying really but we live in a world where you have to say a lot of stuff that goes without saying – if he signs I want him to do well at Arsenal.

He’s 23, there is the room for a player to develop, and we’ve often heard how – when he was at Man City – Arteta’s coaching was a key part of why players like Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling were so effective. The players themselves have spoken about it. Therefore, if Arteta wants Madueke, maybe he’s a kind of gem he can polish in the same way. Which is certainly the ideal scenario, but then you also look at the fact Arteta wanted Mudryk (the biggest bullet dodge in our recent history), and the fact that someone like Gabriel Martinelli – who is clearly a very talented player – has himself plateaued over the last couple of seasons.

You might counter that with the name of Bukayo Saka, but taking nothing away from Arteta’s coaching, I think the key difference there is a level of natural talent and ability that is elevated beyond most players in our squad, or indeed most players in Europe. I’m not saying Arteta hasn’t had an impact, just that it’d be hard not to get end product out of a player who is so naturally predisposed to that.

Anyway, we had a question on the pod yesterday about the timing of any Madueke deal which I think is an interesting one. After a long season he’s away at the grotesque Infantino egotrip Club World Cup nonsense. I think Chelsea are still in it (I haven’t watched), so at some point he’s going to need a decent break. That basically rules him out of most of pre-season, and while I know he wouldn’t need to adapt to the Premier League, there is a difference between Arsenal and Chelsea that previous arrivals have spoken about. You do have to adapt to a new club.

So, with talk continuing around Eberechi Eze and our interest in him, I wonder if the Crystal Palace man might be the smarter one to focus on if we want our squad in the best shape possible for the start of the season. If you do that, if you add Gyokeres too – on top of Zubimendi, Kepa, Norgaard and potentially the defender in the shape of Cristhian Mosquera – then a late window deal for Madueke looks a bit more palatable. Especially given the prices being bandied around for his signature. Let’s see what happens.

Right, I’ll leave it there for now. If you haven’t had a chance to listen yet, the Arsecast Extra is below. Till tomorrow.