Mikel Arteta vetoed the Gunners to pull out of the race to sign the then Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Pedro Neto, with the Spaniard citing concerns over his poor injury record, per ESPN.
The 24-year-old has shown his phenomena over the five years he spent at the Molineux Stadium which showed in the interest he generated this summer. Arsenal and Chelsea kept regular tabs on the winger with the Gunners giving their London counter-part a free run to sign the Portuguese international.
GUNNERS DUCK PEDRO NETO BULLET
He was in the form of his life last season as he scored three and assisted 11 in 23 matches. However, a hamstring injury he suffered in October hindered his progress and kept him sidelined for eight matches.
Neto crawled back to Gary O’Neil’s starting XI but suffered another setback with his hamstring in March against Fulham. Although the Portuguese dodged the injury bullet several times, this can have a long-term impact on the attacker’s fitness going forward.
Chelsea and Arsenal knew about this problem and the latter decided to avoid taking any risks this summer and Arteta decided to ignore this transfer and give easy access to the Blues.
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Pedro Neto has missed 102 games due to injury in the last 5 years, that is an average of 20 games missed every season. No current Chelsea player has missed more in that timeframe with Reece James top of the list — missing out on only 92 games.
— Abdul 🈴 (@bagofnuts_) August 9, 2024
With little competition, Enzo Maresca’s side signed the Portuguese attacker for £54m on a seven-year contract. He will solve their right-wing problems that lacked creativity and goals last season.
ARSENAL IDENTIFIED THE RED FLAG IN THIS DEAL
We believe that Arsenal did a commendable job of acting proactive and stepping aside in this transfer race. English clubs and pundits are informed about Neto’s injury record. Manchester United legend Roy Keane likened to player to Luke Shaw due to the regular pattern seen with his injuries.
The right-winger has missed 102 games for the Wolves (an average of 20 games missed per season), and this is disappointing, to say the least.
Arsenal don’t want a new injury issue brewing up in a position that they want to strengthen this season. The English giants need a player who will provide competition to Bukayo Saka and be available to slot in when required.
We are glad that they identified the Red flag and targeted other players in the market. Bayern Munich’s Leroy Sane is at the top of their wish list.
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The Gunners are also keeping an eye on Brighton and Hove Albion’s Simon Adingra, Meanwhile, Chelsea’s Noni Madueke and Real Madrid’s Rodrygo are recently linked with the North London outfit.
Arteta’s side needs more depth to sustain longer and avoid losing key players as games come in thick and fast.
