It’s hard to think of another summer quite like this one for Arsenal.
Preseason hasn’t even started yet, and the club has already signed four players, including Martin Zubimendi and Noni Madueke, for a combined £112m.
Moreover, talented centre-back Christian Mosquera is set to have a medical today, Viktor Gyokeres looks likely to have his on Friday, and Eberechi Eze continues to be linked.
As if that wasn’t enough, rumours concerning a £80m move for Rodrygo keep popping up, although to complete a deal to sign him on top of everyone else, the Gunners will surely have to make some sales, and it looks like they will.
Why Arsenal want to sign Rodrygo
Even though it would require a massive financial commitment, and he’d become their second most expensive signing of all time, it’s really not hard to understand why Arsenal would want to bring in Rodrygo.
Firstly, he may be a natural left-winger, but as the last couple of seasons have shown us, he can still be incredibly effective off the right and even up, which could help massively if the Gunners endure another torrid year with injuries.
More importantly, though, is the fact that the Brazilian has remained incredibly effective even out of position over the last few years.
Appearances
51
54
Minutes
3707′
3452′
Goals
17
14
Assists
9
11
Goal Involvements per Match
0.50
0.46
Minutes per Goal Involvement
142.57′
138.08′
For example, since the start of the 23/24 season, the “special” talent, as dubbed by former manager Carlo Ancelotti, has found the back of the net on 31 occasions and provided 20 assists in 105 appearances, totalling 7159 minutes.
That means the former Santos gem has been averaging a goal involvement every 2.05 games, or every 140.37 minutes across the last two years, which is undoubtedly impressive.
Finally, with two La Liga titles and two Champions League titles among an array of other trophies under his belt, the 24-year-old dynamo would bring a real know-how to the Emirates, which is something the team have been lacking in recent years.
However, to afford Rodrygo’s wages and transfer fee, Arsenal will surely have to offload a few players this summer, and based on reports, it looks like one out-of-favour ace could be nearing the exit.
The Arsenal star who could be sold
With the signings already made, those set to be completed soon, and the additional links to players like Rodrygo, it’s no surprise to see speculation arise around the possible sale of certain players.
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At first, there were reports about a possible move for Gabriel Martinelli by Al-Nassr, reports that were quickly rubbished.
Since then, Leandro Trossard has been linked with several moves, including a potential transfer to Bayern Munich, and Jakub Kiwior is also reportedly no longer in the manager’s plans.
However, there is now another player being linked with an official exit from the club this summer, someone who wasn’t even part of the squad last season: Fabio Vieira.
Yes, according to a recent report from GIVEMESPORT, the player’s representatives are currently working on getting him to a new team this summer, and have even been in talks with several interested clubs from ‘Turkey and Germany’s top divisions.’
Interestingly, the report reveals that an unnamed Serie A side would be willing to pay €18m for the Portuguese ace in a deal structured like Nuno Tavares’ to Lazio, but as Arteta and Co paid £34m for the player just three years ago, that is not a price they would entertain.
Whatever the final fee ends up being, it is probably time to move the 25-year-old on, as after two underwhelming campaigns in England in which he amassed 13 goal involvements in 49 games, he enjoyed a decent enough spell with Porto last year.
Appearances
39
33
16
42
Goals
7
2
1
5
Assists
16
6
3
6
Goal Involvements per Match
0.58
0.24
0.25
0.26
For example, the “exceptional” midfielder, as talent scout Jacek Kulig once dubbed him, produced 11 goal involvements in 42 games, but eight of those came in just 26 league clashes.
In other words, this summer may well be the last time Berta and Co will be able to get decent money for the Santa Maria da Feira-born ace.
Ultimately, Vieira is not a bad player, but it just has not worked out for him in an Arsenal shirt, and if selling him this summer frees up space to sign Rodrygo, then that is a no-brainer.
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