"Gets overshadowed by Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr" - Pundit urges Arsenal to sign 'underrated' Real Madrid star
Emmanuel Petit has urged Arsenal to sign Rodrygo Goes from Real Madrid. He believes that the Brazilian does not get the limelight he deserves at Santiago Bernabeu because of the other top players at the club.
Speaking to Genting Casino, Petit said that the Gunners are unlikely to sign Nico Williams but needed to bring in a winger. He believes they can lure Rodrygo because he does not get the credit due to Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr and said:
"He has so much quality and I have always said he will be such a great player for them. If they cannot sign Williams, Arsenal need to sign Rodrygo from Real Madrid as he's so underrated and gets overshadowed by Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr.
"He reminds me a bit of Sylvain Wiltord when I was at Arsenal. I really think he would be a star at the Emirates and be an amazing player who can play across all three positions across the front line."
Petit added:
"I know he was asked about Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. the other day and he responded: 'I am Rodrygo, look at what I did last season?' This guy is so underrated and perhaps he feels like he is being overshadowed at Real Madrid. In any case, he could be an absolute superstar for Arsenal and I rate him very much. He scores goals, gives assists and gives great energy on the pitch."
The Gunners were interested in signing Nico Williams in the summer, but the winger stayed at Athletic Bilbao. The Spaniard was also a target for Chelsea and Barcelona, while Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) were also keeping tabs.
Rodrygo, meanwhile, has registered three goals and two assists in 12 games across competitions, starting eight games.
Emmanuel Petit believes Arsenal star William Saliba deserved the red card
Emmanuel Petit has said that William Saliba was at fault for his red card against Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday, October 18. The former Gunners man added that his former side need to do better with the suspensions and said:
"Arsenal's red cards are worrying as they can't handle suspensions. When I look at Saliba's red card, he totally deserved the red card. It's something that could be very damaging but when you look at their squad, they don't have enough to handle their suspensions.
"That is still the case and it's very worrying. Saliba got injured two years ago and the same thing happened, they had no one to replace him and they fell short of the title."
Mikel Arteta's side have picked up three red cards in eight league matches this season and they have not managed to win any of those matches. They drew to Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester City when they were a man down while losing to AFC Bournemouth last weekend.
The Gunners are third in the Premier League table – four points behind leaders Liverpool.