Berta working to sign “incredible” £86m star for Arsenal

While finally getting over the hill and winning the Premier League is going to require a Herculean effort from the team, it would be fair to say spirits are high around Arsenal at the moment.

Mikel Arteta’s side beat AC Milan in Singapore and then got one over Newcastle United in Hong Kong, and now have a North London derby to look forward to tomorrow.

Unsurprisingly, one of the stars of pre-season so far has been Bukayo Saka, who scored the only goal in the first game and was more than lively in the second.

So, fans should be thrilled about reports linking them with another international superstar who could be Arteta’s new Saka.

Arsenal target their new Saka

While the football in pre-season has been great, it’s been an even better summer for Arsenal off the pitch.

After years of fans crying out for one, the club have finally signed a new top-quality number nine in Viktor Gyokeres, and that’s not all, as Martin Zubimendi looks like he could be even more consequential at the base of midfield.

Moreover, Arteta won’t have to worry about squad depth quite as much anymore, with Noni Madueke, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Christian Norgaard and Cristhian Mosquera all coming in to bolster the squad.

Yet, even with six new faces through the door, the North Londoners want to do more business, business which could see them land their new Saka.

At least that is according to a recent report from Spain, which has claimed Arsenal have a ‘clear name’ in mind when it comes to further improving the squad this summer: Rodrygo.

While the report reveals that the Gunners will likely have to sell a player or two before signing the Brazilian, it does not mention how much he might eventually cost them.

However, multiple stories from earlier this summer indicate that a fee of around £86m could be enough to seal the deal, and while that’s a lot of money, it would be worth it for a player of Rodrygo’s quality, especially as he could be the club’s new Saka.

Why Rodrygo could be Arsenal’s new Saka

So, before the pitchforks and torches come out, we aren’t necessarily saying Rodrygo will come in and be just as good as Saka right away, as the Englishman has practically made this team his own over the last few years and is unquestionably now world-class.

However, we are saying that there is every chance the Real Madrid star could come in and end up having a similar impact on the left-hand side, albeit without the homegrown academy product side of things.

Why do we think this? Well, for starters, despite playing out of position for much of the last two seasons, the Brazilian has remained a seriously dangerous attacker.

For example, the “incredible” talent, as dubbed by former manager Carlo Ancelotti, has found the back of the net on 31 occasions and provided 20 assists in 105 appearances, totalling 7159 minutes.

That translates to a brilliant average of a goal involvement every 2.05 games, or every 140.37 minutes across the last two years, which is a level of output the Gunners’ left side could do with.

Second, much in the same way the Hale End icon has taken the club on his back in the past, the former Santos gem has often been the difference maker in big European games for his side.

In 64 Champions League games, the 24-year-old has scored 25 goals and provided 14 assists, but crucially, eight of his goals have come in the knockout rounds and eight have been game-winning.

Finally, despite neither one of them being particularly tall, they’ve proven themselves to be tough to dispossess in recent seasons, be that through sheer strength or an underappreciated ability with the ball at their feet.

Moreover, when given space, both wingers can be quite explosive and an absolute nightmare for backtracking defenders, with FBref placing the Brazilian in the top 2% of attacking midfielders and wingers in Europe’s top five leagues for carries into the penalty area and the Englishman in the top 11%.

Ultimately, while Saka will likely always be the most popular player at Arsenal thanks to his deep ties with the fans and club, Rodrygo could be almost as effective as him off the left, and therefore, Arteta and Co should be doing all they can to sign him this summer.

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