Time for Arsenal to FINALLY sign Pedro Neto!

Pedro Neto links to Arsenal once again have resurfaced. I mean, it wouldn't be a transfer window if we wasn't linked with the Portuguese winger. Our interest in him is documented at least since 2022 or even when you consider his days at Braga, people. It's no secret. If it was up to me, I'm bringing Pedro Neto to the Emirates. We need another attacker, people. We need another wide option. We need another versatile attacker that can both ease the burden on Bakayo Saka but also provide competition and also be an option on the left-hand side. Is it fair to say, people, where you look at the Yosemites, the Seskos, the Joshua Zerskis, for various reasons, those players will not be signing for Arsenal or it appears unlikely and it appears that while Arsenal recognise one day they'll need to sign a striker and it's an area that we're evidently trying to improve upon, with Kai Havertz's form and what we've got within the squad, you could imagine Arsenal are relatively relaxed on signing another striker. I don't think we can get away with not signing not only another striker but a winger. I think one of the two has to be signed for the football club as well as a central midfielder. But keeping on brand with this video, we know we need a winger. I've mentioned the reasons why you lot probably have your own. If it was up to me, bring Pedro Neto to the Emirates. Again, he would ease the burden on Trosser or Martinelli and Saka and also where Trosser or Martinelli are concerned, they have a fluctuation in terms of their performances, either across 90 minutes or their stats. Saka is the only one that you can bet that is going to be up there next season for double figures for goals and assists or simply put a handsome return. We got 91 Premier League goals last season, over 100 when you consider all comps, much like improvement on the season before the one that's just gone. But much like the summer of the last two years or going into the season of the last previous years, we know we're going to score goals, but we don't exactly know who. We know these players have the capacity to score goals and create chances. So why not bring somebody in who potentially could add to that? Although we'll get on to Pedro Neto and specific goal scoring and pros and cons in just a moment. Again, the first thing I would say with Pedro Neto is vital to first and foremost address the elephant in the room. Unfortunately, where you think of Pedro Neto, you think injuries. Had it not been for injuries, I actually feel he could have been a contender for Premier League slash PFA team of the year. But he's had some injuries this season, which has been a regular theme of Pedro Neto and one that's plagued his time or probably put a dampener during his time in England. Now, sadly, at Arsenal during the Emirates era, we've come across plenty of injury prone players and I'm not trying to criticise the existing players, but there's a number of players that if they get injured again, you won't be surprised really and truly. I would like to see Pedro Neto on the football field, not necessarily see him become good mates with the players like himself that get injured and also Arsenal's medical team. We have plenty of pro players, as I said, that sadly pick up injuries. And I do think, though, that is obviously an evident area of concern where he's concerned people. But then you could wonder at Arsenal, he would undoubtedly get to effectively manage his workload and with the presence of other top individuals at the football club, maybe he will get injured less because his minutes will be managed a lot better. Again, you could imagine Arsenal would manage his game time and his recovery a lot better than Wolves. As you know at Wolves, with the greatest of respect to Wolves, his dependency is paramount. He's their best player. He's their starman. They probably played him when he's half fit. We can't say we're obsessions to that because there's probably been numerous Arsenal players that could lay claim to such people. And again, I think where you look at Pedro Neto, I think without factoring in his record of missing games due to injury, people, I do think there's a lot of quality with him, people. But again, where you look at injuries, he's missed roughly again, as I was saying, when you factor in, you know, the missing games that we already know, and you just kind of contextualise his time at Wolves, you know, he has missed roughly 100 games for club and country or games he's been potentially eligible for, half of which have came around because of a serious knee injury he suffered during 2021-22 season. And as you know, he's had two significant layoffs this season, which has halted his progression because of two hamstring knocks. Now, where you hear knees, where you hear two hamstring injuries, where you hear he's missed over 100 games, people, for club and country at 24 years of age, it kind of makes you want to disregard his ability. And it's an evident area of concern because essentially, I know there's a lot of money in the game, but if you're spending 50, 60 odd million pounds, that's a multi-million pound investment that you might not get too much return on. As I said, we have a track record with certain injury players. The best trait you can have is being available. And there has to be a correlation with the vast majority of our squad, all the key players, the Salibas, the Gabriels, the Benjamin Whites, the Sackers, the Oligars, and anyone I've missed being fit and us just having stability and ultimately winning games, people, where that is concerned. So yeah, where that's concerned, again, injuries are a big factor. And obviously, you know, I would sound like a hypocrite if I made exceptions for a player I like in Pedro Neto. Evidently, you know, stats are not everything, but they're vital really and truly. And on one hand, I think Mikel Arteta could install greater impetus in his game of being decisive in the final third, specifically goals and assists. But I don't think stats do him justice. I do think you have to find that balance of using your eyes and seeing what a player is doing across 90 minutes, but also factoring in the modern day, the best wide men get goals. In fact, there's plenty of examples, you know, Firmino playing through the middle at Liverpool and you had Salah and Mane either side. You could lay claim, despite Kai Havertz's goal scoring and Gabriel Jesus, that in some teams in the modern day, the wide men are the players that get the goals. And I know Manchester City have been getting a lot of goals, especially with Haaland, but they could lay claim to that as well. And I don't think, you know, his stats always do him justice. For me, I like his playing style, but you do have to factor in, as much as I'm saying disregard statistics, he's got 14 goals for Wolves, 11 in the Premier League. He does have 20 Premier League assists and 24 assists in all comps for Wolves. But again, on one hand, I think a team that's more on the front foot, that is a better attacking side, a team that's on the front foot a lot more, naturally his statistics will get better. But again, when we're talking about a multi-million pound investment, away from my love for Pedro Neto, how much of a return are we going to get? As I said, people, you know, you also factor in what I've just said and the illusion of what Mikel Arteta could do for him and his track record with improving players. But co-hearted on paper, where you're looking at 50, 60 odd million for someone that's missed over 100 games, people, and doesn't have the strongest of goal scoring returns on paper at this moment in time, for a man contracted until 2027, is this somebody really and truly to put money down? I don't know. And I do believe he's only got two Premier League goals off the back of last season. Now, again, statistics do not do him justice. There's been plenty of games he's affected without necessarily scoring. But you get the point. As I said, Arteta could improve that aspect of his game. You know, he's got a proven track record where you look at Kai Havertz, who couldn't be paid to score goals and is arguably, you know, Arsenal's best player of 2024 to the season end. But then, you know, that is more my hope on Mikel Arteta, his track record. I don't know if that's a fact. So is the illusion of Pedro Neto arguably better than actually obtaining him? I'm not too sure. But where you look at pros, people, I think he's 24 years of age. He's about to enter his prime. He's relatively Premier League proven. He's got eight caps for Portugal at the time of making this video. He's versatile across the front three, can deputise for Saka, can play on the left-hand side, obviously can play as a false nine. He has actually, you know, where you look at the Portugal game recently in the Euros, he can come off the bench and affect the game, something which we don't really have too many game changes. Now, a by-product of having a better squad is only 11 players can start. So whoever misses out means the ceiling could be raised, but also the flooring of Arsenal Football Club. So yeah, this is a man that's versatile, someone that we've got a track record with looking at, someone that can affect the game by starting, someone that can affect the game off the bench, someone that is a killer on the transition and can stretch us further up the field. I don't think people, you know, as much as I'm speaking about his goal scoring, he does chip in with a lot of assists and he does make the difference in vital moments in that regards. And when you look at it, Arsenal have been tracking him prior to Mikel Arteta becoming our manager during his days at Braga, but under Mikel Arteta, those links have persisted. So we must know exactly where he's at, his pros, his cons, how he can tie in individually to this team and also collectively. I do think his pace is exactly what Arsenal need. Now, we're not, we have pace in our team. Players are not slow, but we don't kind of play around pace. We play more of a chess match, looking for openings via the opposition. And I think he can play a more patient and tight, congested game, but also if the game's open, he can obviously make the difference. But pace strikes fear into opposition and opposition defenders. And I think he's got an area in that that we lack. Now, Trossart isn't slow. Gabriel Jesus isn't slow. Kai Havertz isn't the fastest, but isn't the slowest. And I don't think we see too many aspects game to game where we actually see Saka's pace. Saka is very pacey. But when you think of pace in Arsenal's front frontline, you think of Martinelli. If Martinelli isn't there due to injury or his form isn't quite there, it does feel like we're lacking things. And I do think you could consider the Portugueseman a left-footed speed star who could in his own part give Arsenal another dimension to their game, if I'm honest with you. And I mean, even if he is behind Bakayo Saka in the pecking order, surely he is a better option than Fabio Vieira on the right-hand side. Surely he's a better option than Reece Nelson. You could argue he's on par with Martinelli, Trossart and Gabriel Jesus, who have all at times, not too many times, but all at times been played on the right-hand side. And I do, one thing I like is I think he's very intelligent. If you go back to 2022 and you go and watch the Wolves versus Spurs game, you can see how he man-marked Perisic at the time, which obviously Mikel Arteta collectively has different game plans. Individually, he asks these things of players. This shows you that someone that is smart enough to be given information, retain information and implement the information on a football field. I mean, he's clearly got quality. Unfortunately for him, though, he was restricted to only 20 starts last season due to two hamstring injuries, which results to around 1,500 minutes. Yet he could still lay claim to potentially being Wolves player of the season. When you look at his goal scoring, that is an evident area of improvement, but I think he has a great final ball. Despite his injuries and what I've been saying at this point, among the players to have played 900 or more Premier League minutes of the season that's just gone, or the equivalent to 10 complete matches, only Kevin De Bruyne of people has managed more assists per 90 in the season that's just gone than Pedro Neto. He's also made the difference at vital periods in tough games or tough moments for Wolves as well. You look at him setting up the winner in the first victory for Gary O'Neill at Goodison Park. You look at him scoring the equaliser against Luton Town, or you just look at his assists in the games against Newcastle or Aston Villa or Wolves. He's played a vital role in some of the more memorable games for Wolves this season, including the FA Cup victory against West Brom. You look at the impressive wins against Spurs and Chelsea on the road last season. He was involved in both of them in a heavy aspect. And again, respectfully to Wolves, a by-product is probably the attacking players they've got available. But despite his injuries and inconsistencies in availability, he tied the season with Adama Traore with the most assists by a Wolves player in a single Premier League season. I think it's fair to say. Now, again, we can only do in absolutes, but I think it's fair to say if it wasn't for injuries, he probably would have outright ran away with that from Adama Traore. I believe in conclusion, this is a player that I think is impressionable entering his prime ages. Someone that Arsenal showed a willingness to obtain, someone that's Premier League proven, someone with a decent foundation of skills that could be crafted by Mikel Arteta to take him to the next level. And it's a big if, and I don't know how you do this or where you do this. I'm not a physio, but if you're managing his game minutes appropriately and his game load and making sure he doesn't get injured and he's durable and available for the vast majority of the season, then we've got a devil on the flanks if I'm completely honest with you. A serious option on the flanks, people. If it was up to me and the deal was quote-unquote affordable or one that lines up in budget with Arsenal, I would get it done. When you consider his wages, could you argue that he could be a better option than Nico Williams, who I like a lot? We do have to remember his agent is Mendes, who is known to drive a hard bargain. We've got to remember he's under contract until 2027. We've also got to remember he's one of Wolves' key players. There's also rumours Wolves are determined to hold out for a transfer fee well in excess of their current club record sale, which is Matias Nunes to Manchester City. But you could argue with his injuries that could drive down the price. But again, he's got a deal until 2027 and he's a vital player for Wolves. So you could argue they want to keep hold of him or they want something more than his market value for whatever reason. And you do have to ask yourself, what would potentially be the lowest figure Wolves would accept to allow one of their simply put priced assets to leave? Which clubs, if not Arsenal or Arsenal in general, are willing to risk a large chunk of money of cash on a player who has struggled to stay fit for the whole campaign? For all his ability, it doesn't make sense if you're not fit. So the injuries are the only thing that concerns me. Other than that, I think he's got everything to be a real good asset of Arsenal Football Club. And if it was up to me, I would get it done today, people. But it's not. I can only have an opinion. And on that topic, people, I'd love to know your opinions. Only time will tell where Pedro Neto is concerned. But once again, let me know your thoughts on Neto. Is he a better option than Nico Williams? Is he a good option in you lot's booking in general? Should we take a risk on him regardless of injuries? Let me know, people. In short, thanks for watching. Like, comment, subscribe. Why not check out the rest of the other videos on the landing page when this video is done? So yeah, drop me a like, subscribe. Let me know your thoughts. Give me some suggestions on any players you want me to do videos for. But for now, stay safe, stay blessed. Peace.