Andrea Berta's best & worst signings at Atletico Madrid

Arsenal have finally unveiled the hiring of Andrea Berta as their new sporting director.

Berta cut his teeth in his native Italy but made a real name for himself with Atletico Madrid, where he spent four years as part of the boardroom staff before assuming control of the club's transfer business in 2017 - a post he held until his departure earlier this year.

There are plenty of jobs to occupy Berta following his switch to the Emirates. Contract issues need addressing but, perhaps more importantly to Berta, Arsenal must settle on their approach to the summer transfer window.

During his time with Atletico, Berta struck gold on a handful of huge signings... but there were also a few he may not remember fondly.

Andrea Berta's best signings at Atletico Madrid

Rodri from Villarreal - €20m

Rodri came through the Atletico Madrid academy but was released before his first taste of senior action. After a spell with Villarreal, Atletico soon realised the mistake they had made as they swooped to re-sign the midfield general for a fee of around €20m in the summer of 2018.

It was a move which went under most radars across Europe, but Rodri was a household name just 12 months later when Manchester City triggered his £62.6m release clause and began turning him into a future Ballon d'Or winner.

Not only did Berta help identify Rodri's potential earlier than most, but he managed to flip the Spain international for an immense profit after just one year.

Marcos Llorente from Real Madrid - €40m

Crossing the Madrid divide is a controversial move, but Atletico did not hesitate in bringing Marcos Llorente over from Real in the summer of 2019 to help replace Rodri.

For a player who had turned out for Madrid just 39 times and was informed by Zinedine Zidane that he was not part of his plans, €40m initially sounds like a steep fee, but it has turned into a masterstroke from Berta and Atletico.

Llorente was identified as a perfect fit under manager Diego Simeone, who has gone on to hand the versatile midfielder well over 200 appearances, making him one of the boss' most popular players ever.

Luis Suarez from Barcelona - €7m

Like many of us, Berta and Atletico were stunned by Barcelona's claim in 2020 that a 33-year-old Luis Suarez was more of a hinderance than a help. They swooped in and capitalised on their rivals' questionable decision, to sign the Uruguay international for just €7m.

It may not have been a fashionable decision to recruit an ageing Suarez, but Berta and those calling the shots in the transfer department knew they were on to a winner, and were quickly proven correct.

Suarez spent two years with Atletico. His first seasons yielded 21 La Liga goals and the league title, before he added a respectable 11 in his second and final campaign.

Antoine Griezmann from Barcelona - €20m

The entire Antoine Griezmann saga is the purest definition of a transfer masterstroke from Atletico and Berta.

Griezmann joined in 2014, when Berta was Atletico's technical director, and blossomed into a superstar. Atleti managed to flip him to Barcelona for €120m and watched on as he struggled horribly. They trusted the Frenchman, however, and brought him back on an initial loan two years later in 2021.

Once again, Griezmann was sensational for Atletico, who further punished Barcelona's financial incompetence by declining to trigger their €40m option for a permanent transfer and instead extending his loan into the 2022/23 season. It was soon confirmed that Griezmann would return permanently for just €20m. Truly sensational business.

Samu Aghehowa from Granada - €6m

Atletico signed Samu Aghehowa, then known as Samu Omorodion, by triggering his €6m release clause in 2023. At the time, few around Europe knew of the striker, but he would soon be thrust into prominence.

Samu impressed on loan with Alaves and was then the subject of transfer interest from both Aston Villa and Chelsea, and the Blues were even close to a €40m deal before things ultimately collapsed late on. Instead, Samu was sold to Porto.

Now widely recognised as one of Europe's finest young forwards, Samu is on the radar of most of the game's elite sides, with Arsenal among those tipped to try bring him to the Premier League.

Julian Alvarez from Man City - €95m

While Atletico are primarily known for trying to strike bargains in the transfer market, they abandoned that strategy once it became clear they could win the race to sign Julian Alvarez from Manchester City

It was a huge expense, and one which quickly raised eyebrows everywhere, but the Argentina striker settled into Simeone's side immediately and has quickly become one of the team's most important players.

A parting gift from Berta, who stepped down from his position just a few months after signing off on Alvarez's arrival.

Andrea Berta's worst signings at Atletico Madrid

Diego Costa from Chelsea - €60m

Diego Costa will always be a popular figure at Atletico, but there's no denying the circumstances surrounding his 2017 return to the club were more than a little bizarre.

Costa had been banished by then-Chelsea boss Antonio Conte - the summer transfer window closed while he was keeping himself fit training on the beach - and had publicly confirmed he only had interest in returning to Atletico.

Atletico had all the bargaining chips, and yet they still paid €60m for a player whose contract was terminated just three years later. Simeone's insistance is thought to have played a big part in Atletico's decision to spend such a huge fee.

Thomas Lemar from Monaco - €72m

Arsenal failed with a €100m bid to sign Thomas Lemar in 2017, 12 months before Berta and Atletico pulled the trigger on their own €72m move for the Frenchman. They clearly weren't alone in their lofty valuation of Lemar, even if it turned out to be misguided in hindsight.

Lemar remains with Atletico to this day, but he is firmly out in the cold. Injuries and underwhelming form have plagued his time in Spain which, up until Berta's departure had yeilded just ten goals in over four years.

To Lemar's credit, he has proven a versatile squad option for Simeone, but that is undeniably not what Atletico expected from their €72m signing.

Joao Felix from Benfica - €126m

Here's another which is easy to pick apart in hindsight. Atletico stunned the world when they paid a whopping €126m to sign a 19-year-old Felix to replace Antoine Griezmann in the summer of 2019.

It must be said that, at the time, Felix was seen as football's next big thing. That price tag, while significant, was not completely unfathomable, but it would end up to haunt Atletico over Felix's mixed four years at the club as questions over his fit under Simeone plagued his time at the club.

After failing to live up to expectations, Felix has bounced around between Chelsea, Barcelona and AC Milan, having been sold to the former at a loss of €74m.

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