Saliba-Gabriel, the Arsenal wall that Berta imagined for Atlético

Zubimendi, Mikel Merino, Mosquera and Hincapiéunattainable objectives during his time at Atlético, are some of the pieces with which Andrea Berta has designed his first project in a Arsenal that has been leading the Premier League all season (although now without margin with Manchester City) and that closed the group stage of the Champions League with full victories. However, they are not the only ones that the sports director tried to dress in red and white, since long before landing in London He already imagined as a replacement for the unforgettable couple that Godín and Miranda formed the one that today is the wall that supports Arteta: Saliba and Gabriel.

Aware that economically it could not compete with the greats of Europe (the 60 million to which the Royal Society when in the summer of 2023 he thought about Zubimendi or the 50 kilos with which he stood out Bayer Leverkusen in each market that asked about Hincapié), Berta’s weapon as Atlético’s architect went through try to convince your objectives or to get ahead of the clubs with the greatest potential. This is how he dreamed of Mikel Merino when he had decided to leave Anoeta, until after several weeks waiting for his response he saw how the midfielder was giving Atlético a hard time, forcing him to activate plan B which would be Gallagher in August 2024. That is why he put Mosquera’s name on the table, even though he was still 19 years old at the time and had a starting price that already amounted to 25 kilos even though he barely had experience in LaLiga, before finally opting for a The Norman crowned European champion.

Two discoveries truncated by the rival’s checkbook

A modus operandi that he also tried to carry out with the Arsenal’s current defense bossa Saliba who at 25 years old has already accumulated 31 international caps for France. In fact, in the summer of 2019, Three years before Deschamps called him up at the age of 21, Andrea Berta had already drawn him a horizon in red and white.. His first two seasons as a professional had been enough for him. Saint-Ettienethe one in the premiere as a minor, to visualize in that center a potential marshal with the stripes that he possesses today. However, when it seemed that his bet on that young stranger was going to crystallize, Arsenal’s appearance with 30 kilos under his arm altered his responsesimilarly forcing the Italian’s roadmap to turn towards Mario Hermoso.

Something similar to what would happen a year later with the one who for six campaigns constitutes the other pillar of the Gunne defenser. Although Gabriel’s 22 years raised more doubts about whether he was a central defender sufficiently developed to be placed under Simeone’s command, his 30 games played in the Lille They were more related to Miranda than anyone else in the European market. In fact, Arsenal would not hesitate to disburse 26 million that today seem like a bargainas Atlético itself confirmed in the 4-0 win in the group stage in which the Brazilian opened the scoring.