"That was garbage" - Agent rubbishes claims that Real Madrid superstar could've joined Arsenal in January
Jonathan Barnett, agent of Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, has dismissed suggestions that his client could have joined Arsenal earlier this year.
The Evening Standard reported in January that the Gunners wanted to bring Camavinga to the Emirates on a loan deal during the winter transfer window. However, the move didn't materialise, and the Frenchman stayed on at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Barnett has now said that a move to north London was never on Camavinga's agenda (as quoted by @theMadridZone on Twitter):
“That was garbage; it's something that wasn't going to happen. He never thought of playing for another team, & Real Madrid would not let him leave. He’s Real Madrid’s future.”
Arsenal eventually went on to sign Jorginho on a one-and-a-half year deal from rivals Chelsea. The Italian has gone on to play ten times across competitions for Mikel Arteta's side but has received only 542 minutes of action.
Camavinga, meanwhile, has established himself as a starter for Real Madrid, thanks to his passing ability and versatility. The Frenchman has featured both in midfield and as a left-back for Los Blancos this season and has played 47 games across competitions.
Eduardo Camavinga has been immense for Real Madrid in two of their biggest games this month
Real Madrid have had some high-profile games in April. Two of those games were against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey semifinals and against Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals.
Eduardo Camavinga played the entire 90 minutes of both contests at left-back and delivered superb performances to help Los Blancos seal two vital wins.
Carlo Ancelotti's side entered the second leg of their Copa del Rey semifinal against Barcelona on April 5 trailing 1-0 after the first leg in Madrid. In front of a sell-out Camp Nou crowd, they smashed the Blaugrana 4-0 to seal a 4-1 win on aggregate and reach the final.
Camavinga completed all 32 passes, made eight tackles, including a last-man tackle, seven clearances, and won ten of his 14 ground duels. The Frenchman also won a foul and completed a dribble.
While Real Madrid followed that up with a 3-2 loss to Villarreal in La Liga, they returned to winning ways against Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League. Ancelotti's men picked up a 2-0 win at the Bernabeu in the first leg of their last-eight clash to put themselves in pole position to reach the semifinals.
Camavinga completed 51 of his 57 passes (89% accuracy), laid out a key pass and created one big chance. The 20-year-old also won four of his six duels and made three tackles.
He will likely be key once again when Los Blancos visit Stamford Bridge for the second leg on Tuesday (April 18).