Arsenal have already struck gold in Brazil with the signing of Gabriel Martinelli.
The 17-year-old right-back, currently playing for Brazilian side Coritiba, has had an impressive year so far having played a significant part in Brazil’s under-17 World Cup triumph last month. Couto is touted to be the next big player to come out of Brazil and the report claims that Leverkusen have placed a £4.2m for him.
Arsenal are said to be one among many European heavyweights monitoring the situation of the teenage Brazilian but the Gunners could have a slight advantage over other sides. Edu’s arrival as Director of Football in the summer has helped the North Londoners in the Brazilian market with Gabriel Martinelli thriving since making the switch.
Martinelli has had a dream start to life at Arsenal scoring seven times already in just six starts. The teenager wasn’t expected to be given a lot of chances with the first team this season but his impressive performances in the pre-season opened the door for him.
Arsenal have always given chances to younger players and have an incredible history of developing them. Matteo Guendouzi and Martinelli are recent examples of players who came in as unknowns but now feature regularly with the Gunners’ first-team squad.
With David Luiz, Martinelli and Edu at Arsenal, Couto won’t have any problems settling in. With Calum Chambers’ best position unknown yet, Hector Bellerin is Arsenal’s only natural right-back and Couto will definitely be given a chance to showcase his skills if he were to make the switch.
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