Gremio would be ‘happy to sell’ Bitello to Arsenal with South American expert Tim Vickery believing that the Premier League giants are excited about the forward’s potential arrival.
As Vickery points out, 23-year-old Bitello is something of a late-bloomer.
He is not a baby-faced wonderkid, like Gabriel Martinelli was when joining Arsenal as a little-known 17-year-old back in 2019. Bitello would instead arrive at the Emirates with two seasons of regular first-team football – and nearly 100 senior appearances – under his belt.
Bitello’s sudden emergence as a target for one of Europe’s biggest clubs, then, is down as much to circumstance as it is his own excellent form.
The former FC Cascavel starlet has benefitted immensely from the exposure top-flight football provides – Gremio winning promotion back to the Brazilian Serie A last term – while also honing his talents as the ammunition-provider to veteran gunslinger Luis Suarez.
Arsenal could bring in Bitello from Gremio
“He’s been flying under the radar because he’s a bit of a late developer, and his club last year were in the second division,” Vickery tells Sky Sports.
“What really excites Arsenal about this player is how well Bitello has dovetailed with Luis Suarez. You’ve got be clever to play with Suarez, and Bitello has been on a really good wavelength with him.”
Bitello has seven goals and four assists this term. At his most effective when drifting in from the right flank and playing clever, probing passes into the penalty area, Arsenal have scouted Bitello on a number of occasions over the last few weeks, with Fabrizio Romano confirming that the talented string-puller is indeed one of the names on the radar of the Gunners’ South American scouts.
Vickery, meanwhile, believes that – while Bitello would struggle to oust Bukayo Saka and Martinelli from Mikel Arteta’s XI – he could be a useful addition to the squad as a whole.
“He’s an attacking midfielder. Not particularly physical, he is slight of build. But he is versatile. He can play centrally, he can play wide, and he’s been playing quick little one-twos with Suarez,” Vickery adds.
“This, for Arsenal, would be a pretty small investment. Maybe something like £8 million. Gremio are looking to sell. They would be very, very pleased to sell. Edu has done it before with Martinelli and Marquinhos.
“I think Bitello would be very much a squad player. Interesting, but a squad player I think for Arsenal.
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