According to The Athletic, Arsenal are in talks with Wolves over a £50m deal for Pedro Neto – who plays in the same position as Bukayo Saka.
The news has plenty of Arsenal fans questioning where the Portugal international would fit into the starting XI, seeing as he tends to line up on the right flank, often choosing to cut inside on his stronger left foot in similar fashion to the Hale End graduate.
It is certainly an interesting debate to be had, although we think we know why Mikel Arteta and Edu are targeting the Wolves No.7 ahead of the September 1st deadline.
What’s the story?
Well, earlier this year, another Hale End graduate in Jack Wilshere announced his retirement from professional football, at the age of just 30.
The decision came due to a number of injuries suffered by the man who is now Head Coach of the Under-18 side at Arsenal, following a heavy workload as a youngster.
As the BBC shows, Wilshere played 109 games of senior football by the age of 21.
As things stand, Saka has made 134 first-team appearances for Arsenal, while also winning 18 caps for England, all before his 21st birthday, which falls on September 5th.
That is a lot of football for someone who is still developing – to say the least.
Pedro Neto could save Bukayo Saka at Arsenal
In our view, this is smart from Arteta.
Saka is a regular starter for the Gunners, and he could easily suffer burnout as the season goes on – especially with the World Cup commencing in the middle of the campaign.
Sharing the workload with Neto will help the Arsenal No.7 to be fit and firing going into the business end of the season, rather than looking exhausted due to being overplayed.
Keep an eye on this situation, as negotiations between Arsenal and Wolves are set to continue.
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