Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Arsenal are “actively” looking for a new forward in the transfer market.
With Gabriel Jesus sidelined with an ACL injury and Bukayo Saka struggling with a hamstring issue, the Gunners are down to just four senior forwards. It's a long old season to be juggling selection problems – but an incoming feels probable.
Still, the Gunners' commitment to the most pointless signing of the season is hampering their efforts to strengthen the team.
Surely, Arsenal take the prize this season for the daftest piece of business by any club in the top flight…
Let's get one thing straight right away. A bad signing is very different from a pointless one.
Take Manchester United, for example. Antony is the seventh-most expensive Premier League player of all time and widely regarded as a misguided buy. But signing Donny van de Beek for £35 million in 2020 when the Red Devils already had Bruno Fernandes in his position as a No.10 wasn't a bad move, it was just pointless. Why did they do it?
With this is in mind, Neto joining Arsenal on Deadline Day on loan has proven to be utterly futile. Not a disaster. Not a season-derailing car crash. Just plain fruitless.
Bournemouth's Brazilian was parachuted in on loan as late cover for David Raya. Except he was already cup-tied, having appeared in the League Cup Second Round for the Cherries.
Raya has missed one game with injury all season – in the League Cup, funnily enough – with 16-year-old Jack Porter taking his place between the sticks. When the second domestic cup of the season rolled around last weekend, Raya kept his place as the no.1 in goal for Arsenal, with Neto benched.
And Arsenal went out. So Neto is not just facing the prospect of failing to play a single minute during his time at the Emirates, he is taking up one of two valuable spots in the squad allocated to Premier League loanees (the other being Raheem Sterling). It's not his fault, specifically – but he's gone from failing to contribute to the team, to actively hampering potential incomings.
According to the Athletic, issues signing Espanyol's Joan Garcia are to blame for panic-buying Neto. Goalkeeping coach Inaki Cana has strict criteria for incomings, which is said to have “exasperated” Edu.
To make matters worse, Bournemouth themselves have Kepa on loan from Chelsea – and Neto would have surely appeared at least twice this season, in fixtures in which the Basque custodian was ineligible to face his parent club. We've all learned something here, haven't we, lads?
