Since the start of the 2023/24 season, Arsenal have been nothing short of dominant, with the side leading the way in the Premier League and UEFA Champions League Group B.
On Wednesday night in Europe, the Gunners raced out the blocks to secure a 5-0 lead by half-time versus Lens, with the tie concluding 6-0, a much more convincing victory than the 1-0 away win against Brentford.
9/10 star delivers best Arsenal display yet in Gunners player ratings vs Lens
Arsenal romped to a 6-0 victory over Lens in the Champions League.
ByMatt DawsonNov 29, 2023
Mikel Arteta took the opportunity to rotate some of his key men in the second half in order to protect them from injury, with one of those being Bukayo Saka, who has suffered a couple of knocks this season already.
Because of this, the boss may look to reinforce the right-wing position in his side this transfer window.
Arsenal transfer news – Neto
As per TEAMtalk last week, Arteta is interested in signing the “elite” Pedro Neto, but it is rumoured that only a fee upwards of £60m will be considered by Wolves.
Manchester United and teams from Saudi Arabia also recognise Neto as a target, but the Portuguese winger’s agent, Jorge Mendes, has been in contact with the club from north London.
Despite the 23-year-old currently nursing an injury himself, Arteta is still a huge admirer of his talent, and Arsenal are the club who are most likely to acquire his services, with Neto wanting to remain in Europe.
How Pedro Neto compares to Bukayo Saka
The winger who can operate on either flank has plenty of similarities to Saka, who will inevitably be above him in the pecking order.
Much like the England international, Neto is “incredibly talented and physically gifted”, according to Wolves boss Gary O’Neil. Physicality and the ability to bounce off players to create or retain the ball, is one of Saka’s most important traits, therefore Neto would be like-for-like competition.
Both attackers are left-footed right-wingers which ensures build-up and attacking structure remains the same, with the wingers thriving in 1v1 scenarios where they can chop back onto their strong foot or go to the byline for a cutback.
Creativity is an attribute that both individuals possess, with Saka excelling at shot-creating actions per game (5.14), key passes (2.79) and assists (0.44), via FBref.
Also, bearing in mind that Neto plays in a far less dominant side, he produces almost identical numbers, 4.37 shot-creating actions per 90 minutes, 2.54 key passes, and 0.71 assists. Each statistic above puts the two players in the top 90 percentile in the Premier League for those actions.
The only aspect of Neto’s game that doesn’t compare to Saka’s right now is his output in front of goal, only netting one goal this season, with the England international scoring four. However, Neto has proven he can still tear Premier League defences to shreds.
Indeed, he is more of a creator this campaign and has registered the most assists in the top flight, 7, which is two more than Arsenal’s star boy.
It is quite clear why Mikel Arteta views Pedro Neto as the perfect Saka back-up.
