Barcelona goalkeeper Norberto Neto is stuck at Camp Nou after Arsenal opted to sign Brighton and Hove Albion’s Mat Ryan instead, according to Mundo Deportivo.
There’s certainly an argument to be made that, in many ways, an Australia international who fell out of favour at the Amex is a better addition to Mikel Arteta’s squad than Barcelona’s £31 million Brazilian.
After all, Ryan has something the former Juventus and Valencia keeper doesn’t – Premier League experience.
Furthermore, the boyhood Gunners fan is the very definition of a low-cost, low-risk signing, arriving on a short-term loan until the end of the season.
Neto, in contrast, would have set Arsenal back £18 million – a huge fee for a man who would have been expected to spend much of his time in north London gathering dust on the bench.
Neto was keen on a move away from Barcelona after failing to dislodge the brilliant Marc-Andre Ter Stegen but, with Ryan now in place, the 31-year-old is further away than ever from securing a fresh start.
For what it’s worth, Barca boss Ronald Koeman claimed earlier this month he was determined to keep Neto (Goal). Fortunately for the ‘cup keeper’, Barcelona are still in contention for the Copa del Rey so he’ll at least see some game time before the season is done.
Remarkably, Neto has only made more than eight league appearances in four of the past ten seasons.
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