Arsenal have been urged to sign Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo following the 37-year-old's controversial interview with Piers Morgan.
A recent TalkTV interview with Ronaldo saw the Portuguese forward blast Man United manager Erik ten Hag, the club's hierarchy and more, claiming the club are trying to force him out. Following the explosive rant, interviewer and Arsenal fan Morgan took to Twitter, urging Arsenal to sign the striker as the Gunners look to win the Premier League title.
"Yes, actually. He’s exactly what we need.. @Cristiano & @gabrieljesus9 would take us to the title," said Morgan in response to a tweet claiming he would want Ronaldo at Arsenal. The Gunners enter the 2022 FIFA World Cup break five points clear at the top of the table, but the depth of Mikel Arteta's squad has been questioned at times.
READ MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo's huge Arsenal comment proves Mikel Arteta vision right amid Man Utd outburst
So, if Arsenal were to make a move for Cristiano Ronaldo, what could happen? We simulated the rest of the season with the forward in the squad to try and find out.
We 'signed' Cristiano Ronaldo for Arsenal in January 2023
To set up this simulation, we used the Football Manager 2022 editor to arrange for the striker to join Arsenal on January 1, 2023, using FM22 to run the simulation. We then simulated the remainder of the 2022/23 season to judge the impact Ronaldo could have and if he could help the Gunners win the Premier League.
With Arsenal's forward line currently in such good form, Ronaldo was never going to waltz into the starting XI, and that's exactly what happened in the simulation as the striker failed to establish himself as a starter during his time at the club. In all competitions, Ronaldo made 19 appearances for Arsenal, with just six of those starts.
Three of his starts were in the FA Cup, two were in the Carabao Cup and just one came in the Premier League, with Arteta using the 37-year-old as a squad player rather than a starter. In his few appearances, Ronaldo had a decent goal return, proving he can still make a contribution as he scored seven goals in all competitions.
Four of his goals came in the league, with the striker scoring twice in a thrilling 5-3 win over Liverpool at Anfield. Two of his goals came in the FA Cup whilst the other in the Carabao Cup, and in all competitions, the striker averaged a rating of 6.93 per game.
When compared to other players in the squad, it's clear to see why it was so hard for Ronaldo to break into the starting XI. Like in real life, Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka all starred in the front three, with the trio combining for 47 goals in all competitions.
Martin Odegaard grabbed a further 16 goals in the simulation, and they all averaged a rating higher than 7.22 per game - much higher than Ronaldo's 6.93. Saka's 7.39 was the second-best in the Gunners squad, with William Saliba managing a 7.44 per game.
At the end of the 2022/23 season, Football Manager 2022 put together an overall best Arsenal XI, based on performances, statistics and other metrics. This is what it looked like:
Full Arsenal best XI: (4-3-3): Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tierney; Odegaard, Partey, Xhaka; Saka, Jesus, Martinelli.
Ronaldo didn't make Arsenal's best XI after his six-month spell at the club, with Jesus claiming the striker spot in the squad. The 37-year-old was used more off the bench rather than as a starter, similar to his current situation at United.
Arsenal's results with Ronaldo from the 2022/23 season
After the return to Premier League action following the World Cup, Arsenal failed to hit the heights of the first half of the season, drawing lots of games and losing a few towards the end of the season. Three losses in their last six ultimately handed the Premier League to Manchester City as the Gunners finished second.
In total, Arteta's side accumulated 79 points, seven less than Man City in first. The Gunners lost to Nottingham Forest and Wolves in their final two games of the season to open up the gap between them and City, with Pep Guardiola's side proving too difficult to match over the 38 games.
Arsenal drew nine and lost four on their return from the World Cup as they dropped to second, but they did end the season as the joint-highest scorers in the league, with them and Liverpool scoring 78. Ronaldo was unable to help the Gunners win any trophies in the 2022/23 season, with the semi-finals being the furthest stage Arsenal went in the cups.
After winning 2-1 away from home, a 3-1 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen saw the Gunners eliminated from the Europa League in the Round of 16. Man City got one better on Arsenal in the FA Cup as they won 1-0 in the semi-final, whilst a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea saw Arteta's side knocked out of the Carabao Cup in the quarter-final.
Overall, the Football Manager simulation predicts that Ronaldo could prove to be a useful squad player for Arsenal, with his impact being greater than Eddie Nketiah off the bench, but not enough to help win a trophy. But, the simulation also suggests that the arrival of Ronaldo could coincide with a dip in form, maybe due to the dressing room unrest it may cause, so is it really a risk worth taking?
Do you think Ronaldo would be a good fit at Arsenal? Let us know in the comments below!
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