Goncalo Ramos announced himself to the world last night as he replaced Cristiano Ronaldo in the squad and scored a hattrick to knock Switzerland out and send his country through to the quarterfinals. It is almost certain he’ll start again against Morocco and will look to add even more to his tally.
Arsenal enter the January transfer window with a striker currently injured. Gabriel Jesus successfully underwent knee surgery and is expected to miss an extended period across the winter return of domestic football.
It is unlikely that Ramos presents as a viable option this winter, and Benfica will almost certainly have raised any potential price tag of the 21-year-old as soon as the first goal was scored, let alone the third. Yet Ramos has been with his side for a number of years now.
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Arsenal have recently seen targets move elsewhere for big fees when once they were linked before their leap to the elite level. Notoriously, Arsenal missed out on Eden Hazard who eventually moved to Chelsea after their Champions League win.
Dominik Szoboszlai is a more recent example having moved from Red Bull Salzburg to RB Leipzig. Both players were linked with Arsenal in windows prior to their moves for significantly more money than early valuations.
Arsenal have benefitted from the likes of Gabriel Martinelli, found in the lower Brazilian leagues and signed for a small fee. However, former head scout Francis Cagigao was the main orchestrator behind the deal and has since moved on; a similar story can also be linked to William Saliba although somewhat pricier but still a significant amount less than his present valuation.
Newly promoted sporting director Edu brought in Marquinhos from Sao Paulo in the summer. A relatively unknown young Brazilian who has already shown promise at the senior level and football.london understands he could leave on loan this winter in search of more minutes.
With a hole up top, it could be that Arsenal look to find their own gem striker now before their stock rises to the level of Goncalo Ramos. A low-cost strategy with potentially high rewards both financially and in on-field performances.
That said, Mikel Arteta has spoken consistently of letting only quality come through the doors. Is a player who remains a prospect enough to convince the Spaniard of a place in his current squad?
It is difficult to know where Arteta would draw the line and whether the injury to Jesus has changed this stance somewhat. How the Gunners approach January remains clouded, but nothing is uncertain about its importance and Arteta and Edu cannot afford to waste the opportunity.
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