Arsenal's director of football Andrea Berta has been labelled as a dishonest man by former Atletico Madrid and Chelsea midfielder Saul Niguez. The Spaniard has publicly criticised the Gunners' chief for the role he played in facilitating his exit from Atleti, claiming he could have found a solution to stay at the club had they had an honest conversation.
An unhappy exit from Atletico Madrid
Saul spent the best part of 13 years at Atletico Madrid, rising through the ranks as a youngster, featuring in their second team before becoming a mainstay in La Liga. He was part of the side that won the Spanish title in 2021, before eventually being phased out by head coach Diego Simeone. But the 30-year-old's quarrel is not with the manager, but instead lands on his old sporting director. Saul claims he had a very honest conversation with Simeone, who informed him he was no longer part of his plans, but there was a sourness behind the way he left the club due to the actions of Berta. The 19-cap Spain international has accused him of being dishonest, and has even gone so far as to discover proof of the director's lies in the final years of his time in Madrid, which included two loan spells at Chelsea and Sevilla.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesSaul hurt by Berta's lies
Speaking to the Spanish media, the midfielder has now opened up on his relationship with the Arsenal chief. He said: "I was a homegrown player, and I’ve always tried to help the club, even though there are people who criticised me for not lowering my salary,” he said.
"I’ve lowered my salary when Atletico asked me to, I’ve received promissory notes when they asked, and even now I’ve done things to make things easier for them. I’ve always said yes to everything. He (Berta) wasn’t completely honest with me; I’ve even seen proof. Then he told me he wasn’t, but I’ve seen proof. I told him not to lie to me.
“All of that hurt me. Because if he had done things right with me, he would have sat down with me, we would have spoken face to face. We would have found a solution."
Sour end to a memorable stint in Spain
Saul left Atleti permanently this summer, joining Brazilian side Flamengo, where he signed a three-year deal. Meanwhile, Berta has departed for London, where he now oversees operations at Arsenal in place of Edu Gaspar. During the summer, Berta had a hand in bringing Viktor Gyokeres, Eberechi Eze, Christian Mosquera, Martin Zubimendi and Piero Hincapie to the club. Those at the Emirates will be hoping that their director does not adopt a similar approach to any of their careers, based on the harsh words of one of his former colleagues.
Upon his appointment, co-chairman Josh Kroenke lavished Berta with praise, saying: “Anyone who knows football knows Andrea is an impressive figure. He has vast knowledge of the game, a great track record, a strong network and an insatiable desire to build winning teams.
“Andrea will be a great addition to our club. He understands our values and what we stand for and we have no doubt he will help us push on and take the next steps in our bid to win major trophies.
“We undertook a thorough recruitment process and we were hugely impressed with the level of all the other candidates, but it was Andrea’s experience and the success he has enjoyed that stood out. “We are really looking forward to working together and welcoming him into the Arsenal family.”
Getty ImagesNew beginnings for Saul and Berta
While Saul is understandably hurt by the actions of Berta, that chapter of his career is now closed, as it is with the latter. The pair won several pieces of silverware together in Spain, and once the dust has settled, there may still be room for reconciliation.
