Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta wanted to sign alternative to Martin Zubimendi

Arsenal finally got a deal for Martin Zubimendi - who was a long-time target of Mikel Arteta's - over the line in the summer but the club's sporting director would've pursued other players had he had his way.

Emirates chief Andrea Berta is still relatively new, but when he arrived into his influential role the framework of a deal to sign the Real Sociedad midfielder had already been drawn up. It made it easier for the Gunners to return and seal the Spaniard's signature for £60million.

Zubimendi had been hugely impressive in the Spanish success at Euro 2024 and was on Liverpool's radar 12 months ago. He remained in La Liga, but the expectation was that he would eventually seek pastures new.

The Athletic reports that Berta arrived with the move in the pipeline, but if he'd have been in his job longer he would've pushed for sign other candidates in that area as Arsenal moved to sign a No.6 this summer.

There is no official word on who Berta would've wanted instead, but the Gunners were linked with Atletico Madrid’s Pablo Barrios. Lucien Agoume at Sevilla was another name linked with a switch to the Emirates before the deal for Zubimendi was confirmed.

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Zubimendi has quickly made himself at home in the Arsenal midfield and he's started all three of their Premier League games so far this season, helping the club beat Manchester United and Leeds United before they lost at Liverpool on Sunday.

Despite his reported want to have considered other players Berta, who oversaw an impressive summer of recruitment, was full of praise when the deal for Zubimendi was confirmed. He said: “We are so happy to bring Martin to Arsenal and have a lot of pride in finalising this transfer. Martin was a key target for us and we all know that he is a perfect fit for our squad."

The Spaniard himself, who could've moved to Anfield 12 months earlier, claimed that the switch to north London was always the one he wanted.

"This is a huge moment in my career. It's the move I was looking for and one I wanted to make. As soon as you set foot here, you realise how big this club and this team are," he said.

“I set my sights on Arsenal because their style of play is a good fit for me. They have shown their potential recently and the best is yet to come.”

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