Patrick Vieira told ITV (27/06/21 at 7:20 pm) that rumoured Arsenal and Liverpool target, Renato Sanches, is now showing ‘flashes of his talent’.
The Arsenal legend shared how the ‘big prospect’ went backwards in his career after winning Euro 2016 as a teenager with Portugal.
But after a title-winning campaign in the colours of Lille last season, Sanches has now put the ghost of that infamous loan spell at Swansea behind him.
It has resulted in rumours surfacing that the Portuguese superstar could head back to English shores, with Arsenal and Liverpool showing an interest in his swash-buckling midfield talents.
90min claim that Arsenal have made contact with the French champions regarding the 23-year-old, whilst CBS Sports report that Liverpool have made him a top target this summer.
During his playing days, Vieira could drive through a midfield with ease, as he shared his verdict on a player looking to follow in his legendary footsteps.
“He went through a very difficult period after winning the Euros in France,” said Vieira.
“He was a big prospect. Everybody was waiting for him to be one of the top young players for the future. He moved to Bayern Munich where he has a very difficult period.
“I don’t think it was the right place for him to keep developing. But last year with Lille, he did really well. He wasn’t really consistent during the season, but he had some flashes of his talent.”
Both Arsenal and Liverpool could do with Sanches’s talents this summer, with the midfielder getting knocked out of Euro 2020 with Portugal last night.
Mikel Arteta needs to revamp his whole squad, especially in midfield and a player of Sanches’s ball-carrying abilities would be more than welcome in North London.
As for the Reds, they parted ways with Gini Wijnaldum this summer and they need a replacement for his technical qualities and intelligent movement in the middle of the park.
Now, that can come from within, such as academy product Curtis Jones or the injury-prone Naby Kieta.
But it wouldn’t be a surprise if Liverpool supporters prefer Sanches and the owners dipping into the market and helping Jurgen Klopp out.
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