Arsenal want to sign Premier League attacker who confessed he supported the Gunners as a child: Reports
Arsenal are interested in signing Wolverhampton Wanderers attacker Pedro Neto, according to The Mirror.
The Gunners had previously expressed their willingness to sign the left-footed winger in 2017. At the time, Neto, aged 16, was seeking a move away from Braga. Eventually, then Gunners manager Arsene Wenger failed to meet the £17.6 million price quoted by Braga.
The move would've been ideal for the Wolves man, given his fondness of the north London club. Admitting that he was an Arsenal fan growing up, Neto told talkSPORT in 2021:
"When I was a kid growing up watching English football ,my favourite team was Arsenal. Because with Arsene Wenger I thought besides winning trophies they played very good football."
"I'm with Wolverhampton and am very happy! Of course, it's the best club in England now."
The winger eventually joined Wolves from Lazio in 2019, where he has scored 12 goals and provided 17 assists in 118 appearances across competitions.
However, Neto has struggled with injuries since moving to England. He missed 27 games last year due to an ankle problem and was sidelined for 52 games after picking up a knee injury towards the end of the 2020-21 season.
The Portugal international is up and running for Wolves in the new Premier League season, though. He has registered four assists and a goal in seven games.
It will be interesting to see whether the Gunners opt to move for a player who has had fitness issues. However, the Londoners are short on cover for Bukayo Saka as far as left-footed wingers are concerned.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta provides injury update on Bukayo Saka
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has said that Bukayo Saka's injury concerns remain to be assessed following the Gunners' emphatic 4-0 league win against Bournemouth on Saturday (September 30).
The England international's inclusion in the game was in doubt after he had missed the 1-0 Carabao Cup win over Brentford three days earlier. However, Saka started against The Cherries and also got on the scoresheet, scoring a close-range header in the 17th minute.
After 76 minutes, the 22-year-old winger was replaced by Fabio Vieira after sustaining a few knocks. When asked about Saka's situation, Arteta said (via Football London):
"I don't yet, as I haven't had a chance to speak to him."
Arsenal fans will hope that the issue isn't too serious, given Saka's start to the new season. Across competitions, the youngster has netted five goals and bagged four assists.