Former Arsenal striker Jeremie Aliadiere has exclusively told Sports Mole that he is torn between Andrea Berta and ex-teammate Tomas Rosicky as his pick for the Gunners' new sporting director.
The North London giants are currently in the process of scoping out Edu's successor following the Brazilian's shock decision to resign from his post in late 2024, and Berta is now said to be the number one pick.
The 53-year-old recently left his position at Atletico Madrid following nearly 12 years of service and is understood to now be in advanced talks with Arsenal, although the Gunners are yet to put an official proposal on the table.
However, Rosicky - now Sparta Prague's sporting director - has also confirmed that he is on Arsenal's radar, and while Aliadiere's heart is saying that 'the little Mozart' would be his number one choice, he believes that either man would be a terrific appointment.
"Tomas was just such a gentleman, such a great guy to be around," the 41-year-old said. "We all know how fantastic of a player he was. But his mentality, how nice he is, how focused, how intelligent he is, you always thought 'sporting director is definitely a role for you.'
Aliadiere: 'My heart is saying Rosicky for Arsenal sporting director'
"When you look at Edu, you look at Rosicky, it's the same mould, same personality, great technician, reads the game really well. It's not a surprise that he's linked to coming back to the club. Obviously, he's got history with the club, so I'm sure the fans will love to see him back.
"But on the other hand, Berta is proven as a sporting director, done an absolutely fantastic job at Atletico Madrid. It's a 50-50, where my heart's saying Tomas, because I've played with him and I know him really well.
"But on the other hand, in terms of experience, Berta's got such great contact with a lot of players and people that he could bring to the club. Whatever choice Arsenal decide to go for, I think it'll be a great choice."
Rosicky and Aliadiere were briefly teammates at Arsenal until the latter left for Middlesbrough back in 2007, after which his Czech counterpart continued at the Emirates Stadium for another nine years.
Rosicky was adored by Arsenal supporters, scoring 28 goals in 247 appearances and winning one FA Cup in the English capital, although his career was also blighted by several serious injuries.
Rosicky or Berta: Who should Arsenal's next sporting director be?
© Imago
The 44-year-old might be more of a novice in sporting director terms, but Edu was hardly experienced when he took the reins in North London either, and the Brazilian ended up doing a sterling job.
Like Edu, Rosicky possesses a deep connection with Gooners and knows the club inside and out, which seemingly proved invaluable to Edu as he forged a highly successful relationship with Arteta.
Rosicky and the Arsenal manager were of course teammates from 2011 to 2016 too, but if it is immediate results that the Gunners are after, the 'little Mozart' will likely accept being trumped by Berta.
The Italian won the Best Sporting Director of the Year Award at the 2019 Globe Soccer Awards, the same year he helped to engineer a mega-money deal for Joao Felix, admittedly one that did not work out as intended.
However, Berta also helped broker the acquisitions of Antoine Griezmann, Jan Oblak and Julian Alvarez, in addition to selling the former for over £100m to Barcelona, and the fact that he would be ready to start straight away also works in his favour.
Jeremie Aliadiere was speaking to Sports Mole on behalf of bettingtools.com.
Ben Knapton
