According to Football London, Arsenal is interested in signing Portuguese midfield maestro, Ruben Neves, from Al-Hilal. Neves is a household name in Premier League football, moving to Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2017 after rising up the ranks at FC Porto, and was part of the Wolves team that lifted the Championship and stayed in the Premier League ever since.
Despite being a defensive midfielder with a good eye for a pass, Neves had some trademark strikes that endeared him to the hearts of English fans, that saw him release surface-to-goal piledrivers that were beauties with each passing replay. Neves also enhanced his dead ball game, albeit not to James Ward-Prowse levels, but he scored a bunch of important free kicks and penalties for Wolves.
Which was why I was surprised, but not too bewildered, when an active 26-year-old footballer in the peak of his powers and captaining his club opted to go for the greens of Saudi Pro League. Yes, he was handed his coveted No. 8 jersey in Al-Hilal and shares pleasantries with mercenaries like Aleksandr Mitrovic, but leaving to the Middle East at his age and with his talent, was one of football’s great mysteries.
However, it seems that Arsenal might offer him a chance to return to the Premier League, and boy, I am drooling with the prospect of Ruben Neves playing alongside Declan Rice. That was meant to be Thomas Partey but with the Ghanaian’s atrocious injury record, it’s high time the club cuts its losses and move on. He is 31 and is certainly an amazing player, but what’s the point of having a Rolls Royce when it’s always in your garage and can never to used on the streets.
Signing Neves would see him man the No. 6 role while Rice moves about in the left No. 8 role, with the likes of Kai Havertz, Fabio Vieira and Emile Smith Rowe adding some well-needed depth. Jorginho can serve as the No. 6 deputy and will certainly be Arsenal’s Scaffolding – amazing article from Arseblog.
While it may just be rumor mills, I will need to monitor the situation, as Arsenal will be two midfielders short in January when Partey and Mo Elneny depart for the African Cup of Nations.
Ruben Neves might unlikely be a January signing, but he sure ticks all the boxes for a summer transfer with Partey leaving for Saudi Arabia or whatever hospital is ready to procure his medical bills for the new signing.
Sayonara.
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