Andrea Berta has done a terrific job at Arsenal.
The 53-year-old became the club’s sporting director at the end of March, and he has since extended the contracts of Gabriel Magalhaes and Myles Lewis-Skelly.
To add to that, Berta completed the signing of six new players before the start of August, which is something that Edu Gaspar never did.
Now, however, the Italian could be about to repeat a mistake that Edu made around 12 months ago.
Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty ImagesAndrea Berta could be about to make a mistake with Jeremy Jacquet
Arsenal have identified Jeremy Jacquet as a target this summer.
The 20-year-old is one of the most talented young defenders in France, and many in the game feel he has a massive future ahead of him.
BBC Sport have claimed that Arsenal have not ruled out signing Jacquet in this window, but if they can’t, they will continue to keep tabs on him and aim to get him in 2026.
That could prove to be a big mistake, as Edu did the same with Joan Garcia last year after Arsenal could not agree a deal with Espanyol for the Spaniard.
🚨🔴⚪️ EXCLUSIVE: Arsenal submit €20m package bid for Joan García as new GK to replace Ramsdale.
Agents Juanma López and Andy Bara bring the proposal to Espanyol worth €20m add-ons included.
Espanyol ask for €30m clause.
Joan García agreed terms with #AFC and wants Arsenal. pic.twitter.com/h5EqE6KmaG
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 29, 2024
View Tweet
Arsenal remained interested in Garcia at the start of this window, but the 12-month delay opened the door for Barcelona to sign him.
The Gunners missed out on Garcia, who has been hailed as ‘one of the best goalkeepers in the world‘, just because Edu did not pull the trigger last year.
Berta should learn from that mistake and make sure he signs Jacquet in this window, even if it means loaning him out immediately for another season.
READ MORE: Who is Jeremy Jacquet? Everything you need to know about the new Arsenal transfer target
Arsenal should repeat William Saliba plan if they sign Jeremy Jacquet
Arsenal signed William Saliba from Saint-Etienne in the summer of 2019, when he was still a teenager.
The Gunners immediately loaned the Frenchman back to his old club for a season, and he was then sent out to Nice and Marseille on temporary deals as well.
Those moves helped Saliba become ready for the Premier League, and he has now developed into one of the best defenders in the world.
Arsenal don’t really need a new centre-back right now, but that doesn’t mean they should ignore a massive talent like Jacquet.
They should sign the youngster, send him out on loan to develop and then look to integrate him into the Arsenal squad in a year or two.