Friday Morning Transfer- Arsenal officials have travelled to Spain to discuss the signing of “the new Neymar” who is very versatile and can play in different roles- player can play as a RWF, can operate as a number 10 who likes to drift into dangerous positions and even as a box to box midfielder just like Neymar Jr- Arsenal have got a ‘rare gem’ in their hands
When it comes to picking a player of the year for last season, Arsenal could genuinely pick from a number of worthy winners.
Martin Odegaard took another step forward as a captain, Bukayo Saka reached new levels in terms of his raw output, and Declan Rice helped transform the club’s midfield.
However, Gabriel Martinelli was one player who didn’t improve and maybe even took a step back, and based on recent reports, he could soon have a fight on his hands for a place in the starting lineup.
Arsenal transfer news
According to a recent report from Spain, Arsenal are keen on signing RB Leipzig ace and Spanish international Dani Olmo this summer and are currently ‘leading the race’ for his signature.
Alongside the Gunners, the report claims Bayern Munich and Barcelona are interested in the Spaniard, who, thanks to a termination clause in his contract, would cost around €60m to sign, which converts to about £51m.
It certainly wouldn’t be a cheap deal, but based on his performances over the last few seasons, it’s probably one worth pursuing, especially as it’ll provide Martinelli with another genuine rival who could push him to get back to his best.
How Olmo compares to Martinelli
Now, Olmo is quite the versatile player and can play on either wing or in attacking midfield, but with Saka and Odegaard firmly established as two of the first names on the team sheet, he would likely come in primarily as an option to play off the left.
Therefore, his long-term rival would be Martinelli, as Leandro Trossard is set to turn 30 this year, and it seems unlikely that he’d remain the first-choice left-winger for the future.
With that said, how does the Spaniard compare to the Brazilian? Well, from first glance, it looks relatively even as both players scored eight goals and provided five assists last season, but crucially, the Terrassa-born ace did it in just 25 appearances, whereas the Gunners’ winger took 44 appearances to reach the same total.
Therefore, the Leipzig star impressively averaged a goal involvement every 1.9 games, while the former Ituano gem averaged one every 3.3 games.
How about their underlying numbers, then? Is it another win for the 26-year-old?
