Arsenal have made the signing of the season in Andrea Berta

Editor F365 24 Nov 2025 7:42 AM

Arsenal duo Andrea Berta and Mikel Arteta.

Arsenal’s win over Tottenham showed us the brilliance of Eberechi Eze and Declan Rice but also Andrea Berta.

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The signing of the season is…

I am sure, when the medals are being handed out in May, and the barely concealed excitement of a looming World Cup is upon us, there will be a ‘Signings of the Season’ feature.

Isak and/or Wirtz may have, at this point, have justified their incredible price tags and fired Liverpool to a title defence.

Man City’s purchase of Cherki or Donnarumma may have catapulted the Sky Blues and Pep Guardiola to yet another title win (or maybe those 115 charges may just have been dealt with…).

Chelsea’s resolute dedication to collecting every winger in the known universe may have won them an unlikely title.

Or maybe Arsenal will finally win the league after coming so close over the last three seasons.

As a Gunner since 1990, I’m not counting my titles yet. Gyökeres, Hincapie, Zubimendi or Mosquera might be touted as the difference this season. But for me, the difference would have been Mr Andrea Berta. When it was announced that Arsenal Invincible Edu Gasper was off to pastures bizarre, I was worried. Edu would be the second of three pretty high profile backroom exits over the last year or so. It was clear a top tier replacement would be required. Berta was and is that man. Damn near faultless recruitment. Brinkmanship played out at Tottenham’s expense with Eze. Pinching Mosquera from Valencia for the price of 1/6 of a van Dijk. Grabbing Kepa for the Premier League price equivalent of a Freddo bar. The man has been a genius.

All of this before I even discuss the contract renewals. Keeping Saliba out of Real Madrid white. Keeping Nwaneri, who looks a veteran compared to Dowman. He looks like he’s the perfect foil for Arteta. The perfect Kroenke conduit.

Signing of the season? Berta. Andrea Berta.
Greggooner

READ: 16 Conclusions on Arsenal 4-1 Tottenham: Eze, Rice, Frank and the Premier League title

Are Arsenal still pragmatic and horrible?

You will never guess which of 2 teams has scored 4 goals or more in a Premier League football match over the last 3 years.

Still though, Spanish Pulis and all that shit.
Simon, London

…As a devoted Arsenal fan, approaching this weekend, always having doubts about my team…. Good grief!

This was going to be a difficult game. City’s game was too but I put them down for a draw at the least and Liverpool were going to blow Forest over! However, I did say to fellow Gooners: “let’s be careful of those silent loitering” Chavs!’.

Arsenal were superb and, of course, in particular, ‘Eze’…well done sir!

Arsenal have a lot of important players out. I was worried about not having Gabriel but would a certain individual believe that we can’t score from ‘open play?’ Ho ho 😆

Arsenal played positively against a negative team and took them to the cleaners with no supposed attackers; Keep up your form Trossard, you are a true asset!
Chris, Croydon

That was just brilliant from Arsenal

I continue to be guilty of using Twitter too much. Largely, it’s guff and the ‘For You’ tab is just pure rage bait to try and entice you into engagement.

Anyway, this is to say that this morning I felt nervous. The Spurs accounts I am somehow exposed to were confident and talking up their physical ability/how they might play. While I don’t watch them regularly enough to really know if it was true, and appreciate as a fan you have to have some trust in your plan, I am now in hindsight dumbfounded at some of the misplaced hope.

Maybe it was our draw with Sunderland? Where, by the way, we were excellent for 98% of the second half. But people see the mistake at the end and the result and almost read slightly too much into it. We basically just got football’d in the end. This led to people on ‘the app’ thinking this might be a close one…

But that’s the worst Spurs team to come to us in a decade, easily. The game started and I quickly remembered we were quite good, but I was stunned at how poor they were from the off.

The plan seemed to be a disgusting low block, hope for 0-0, pray for 0-1, and have Kevin Danso pelt missiles up the right touchline whenever it went out for a throw. Thomas Frank has been braver with his Brentford teams at our place than he was today. Someone said about the threat they pose from corners, of which you need to actually attack to try and get some.

Enough about them. That was total control today. We did not let them have a sniff, insane fluke strike from the most born to play for Spurs player in history. Fair play, some goal; very opportunistic, deeply annoying.

Hincapie was outstanding, Trossard continues to be the same. Merino, the ‘DM’ who can’t play, threading passes through the middle to on-running attackers. Saka a constant threat. Rice a monster time and again. And then there was Eze. Silly scriptwriting for him today, highly far-fetched stuff, but his second goal is so beautifully guided into the corner it deserves praise all on its own.

This team is not messing around now. They know they need to win things and they know it needs to be soon. Another huge one next Sunday.

But not before our old pal Harry on Wednesday. Fun.
Joe, AFC, East Sussex

Simons > Eze, is he?

Hey Jason, when will we get the mea culpa on your ‘Why Simons is a better signing than Eze’ article from the summer?

Asking for a friend.
Tom, Leyton

Talking of Eze

Even when confronted with the worst-case scenario, Ebere Eze is the politest young fella there could possibly be.

‘You could’ve been in the opposition today”

“Let’s not think about that”.

What a young man. To have your childhood dream dashed, bounce around clubs, forge a pro career and then end up back where you always longed to be. Sporting romance comes in many forms, and my favourite right now is EE10. Spiritual successor to Thomas, Rocastle and, especially, Ian Wright.

His second goal was a peach. GNev was spot on at pointing out the relative clumsiness of his initial touch. But the finish was so beautiful. There’s a cracking documentary series presented by Rio Ferdinand about football in south London. About how kids are conditioned by the council estates and the cages they play in. This goal was exactly that; imperfect, frantic and ultimately astonishing in its execution.

Flowers please for Timber. He was fantastic today and has been all year. Defensively he won’t back down, quick, strong and punches above his height aerially. He’s also a cracking player with the ball as he feeds Saka, Eze, Odegaard and runs his arse off into space. I’d love 3/4 of his type in a squad.

A bouquet too for Merino. I’m old enough to remember when he was classed as a lumpy defensive midfielder. Like day one of the season! Our fourth choice number 9 linked play well and made the dynamic duo of Romero and Mickey V look like statues with that lovely clip to Leo.

What a great weekend.
UTA
Roscoe P Coltrane

…If he hits his peak for us the same way that Wrighty did around the same age (not in terms of goals but general output) then we will win multiple league titles in the next several years.
MAW, LA Gooner (I’m pretty sure – don’t hold me to that, thanks)

Declan Rice is a generational talent

I generally don’t like to compare players. I’ve always believed you can enjoy two players without the need to always enter a “who is better battle”. Unfortunately, other people don’t see it this way. You remember when delusional ManUtd fans used to swear that Ruud van Nistelrooy was the best striker in the world, even better than Thierry Henry? Well we all know how that turned out.

That’s exactly how this Caicedo vs Rice argument will turn out in a few years.

Sorry but It’s completely absurd to me that they are in the same sentence. Just as it was absurd to me Henry could be reduced to van Nistelrooy’s level. A generational talent. Incredible!
Damola AFC, Berlin Germany

Odegaard the problem

This Arsenal side look so much better because Odegaard isn’t in it.

He slows the game down too much, is too ponderous, despite being a nice footballer. But he’s not an integral part of a league winning side.

I can guarantee that when he’s back in the side, Arsenal’s form will drop off. His return will coincide with their sticky patch.
Liam

On chicken dance guy

For an entire career thus far, it does seem all of Richarlison’s most notable match moments are invariably consigned to footnote status, and often quickly muted by ridicule too. It’s rather fitting because he’s a prat, unquestionably one of the most disliked personalities in the modern game. If I recall, he’s also got ink of himself alongside Neymar, a Pokémon, and wild warthogs or some such all down his back.
Eric, Los Angeles CA (Won’t be winning the World Cup next summer either.)

Arsenal have not won the title yet

I am absolutely positive that next Sunday evening you will be talking up Chelsea’s title chances. I can’t stand Arsenal or Chelsea and City winning it is even worse but this season is a very, very long way from over.

Were Arsenal great today? Yes. Were Spurs absolutely awful, also yes. Does a 6 point lead with 26 games to go and 2nd place still to play 1st place twice mean it’s going to be a procession? No chance.
Dave, Manchester