Arsenal have been one of the pioneers in the modern game regarding the transfer market. Arsene Wenger was one of the first to delve into detailed scouting analytics and used data to inform his recruitment strategy.
Whilst Arsenal still use this method today, the divisive yet necessary work of super agents has dominated plenty of the recent deals the club has done. This has much to do with technical director Edu.
Thanks to his work off the field, which began when his playing days concluded, the former invincible has collected quite the little black book of contacts. With these, he’s helped to bring some top talent to the club and the likes of Gabriel Jesus have credited Edu with getting the deal done.
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However, Arsenal have had some experiences in the past which have not particularly benefitted the club. Clients of Kia Joorabchian such as Willian, David Luiz and Cedric Soares. Although, football.london understood he played a role is aiding the move for Martin Odegaard from Real Madrid.
Fast forward to this summer and Jorge Mendes was heavily involved in the deal which saw Fabio Vieira’s move fly under the radar for so long before it was revealed just days before his signature. The £34 million deal was secured thanks to Edu’s relationship with Mendes and now it could benefit the club again with a major summer target.
According to The Athletic, Arsenal's priority wide forward target is Wolves’ Pedro Neto. Discussions have taken place now for some time with information of these discussions only just coming to the surface.
Mendes is said to be in talks with both Arsenal and Wolves separately but there is an understanding the west midlands side do not want to sell. The Gunners will surely have to spend big once again to land Neto, but this hasn’t put the side off of deals for the likes of Ben White or the aforementioned Jesus when the player has become a priority.
It also furthers Arteta’s approach of targeting Premier League proven talent. For so long, the Gunners refrained from investing in players from their own league through fears of inflated price tags making deals unrealistic.
Strange considering the amounts spent on the likes of Shkodran Mustafi and Lucas Perez to name just two examples. Yet, in 2022, Arsenal are feeling the benefits with their new-look team in great form and proving to be a force to be reckoned with.
Should Neto arrive, it will be thanks again to Edu’s relationship with the super agents that exist in the sport. However, Arsenal showed restraint with the attempted deals for both Raphinha and Lisandro Martinez, demonstrating that they will not overpay relative to their valuation of players.
Fingers are crossed that a deal for Neto can be secured. It would represent quite the statement to the league.
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