Why Arsenal should make a move for Barcelona’s Neto
According to Sport (h/t Metro), Arsenal have opened negotiations to sign Barcelona shot-stopper Neto in the summer.
Neto, 30, came through the ranks at Atletico Paranaense in his homeland and was signed by Serie A outfit Fiorentina in January 2011. After making 101 appearances for La Viola, he moved to Juventus in the summer of 2015. However, he found it hard to receive regular game time in the presence of Gianluigi Buffon, managing just 22 appearances in two seasons.
La Liga side Valencia signed him in 2017 and the Brazilian was able to revive his career in Spain. He went on to help the club clinch the Spanish Cup in the 2018/19 season and his impressive performances earned him a move to Barcelona last summer.
But he has been unfortunate at Camp Nou due to the presence of Marc-Andre Ter Stegen. He has featured in just 4 games across all competitions this season. Thus, Arsenal should look to secure his services and add depth to their goalkeeping department.
The Gunners, having endured a disappointing campaign, showed improvements under Mikel Arteta since the turn of the New Year but they have been vulnerable since the restart of the season. They have lost both of their games since the resumption and have fallen to the 11th position in the table.
With the campaign coming to its business end, the manager should look to bring in reinforcements to multiple positions and try to lift themselves up to progress in the coming seasons.
Neto could be a solid backup for Bernd Leno
One key area which needs to be strengthened is the goalkeeping department. Bernd Leno, Emiliano Martinez and Matt Macey are the three shot-stoppers available at the manager’s disposal. Leno has been the first-choice in the past two seasons and has been brilliant for the Gunners.
Martinez has also received his fair share of games in the other cup competitions and the Europa League fixture. Only Macey has not been a regular to the squad.
However, Leno suffered a serious knee injury and could be out of the team for a long time. And Argentine Martinez has also been linked with a move away from the club in recent times. And if this happens, the Gunners’ numbers in the goalkeeping department would be reduced. Thus, a shot-stopper is a must in the summer.
In that regard, signing Neto would be a massive boost to the squad. The one-cap Brazilian was in tremendous form for Valencia in the last two seasons. After managing to keep 10 clean sheets in 33 league games in his first season at Mestalla, he continued with the fine form last season and kept the same number of clean sheets and helped Valencia qualify for the Champions League.
His inclusion to Arsenal would definitely help them with the depth in the squad and he would be the perfect backup for Leno. He has the ability to do well with the right opportunities and the Gunners should enjoy his services for the next few years.
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Verdict
With Leno’s serious injury and Martinez’s uncertain future, Arsenal should bring in a new goalkeeper. Thus, adding Neto to their squad in the summer would do them a world of good. At 30, he still has a few more years left to play at a higher level. And he has plenty of experience at the top level, having played for the likes of Juventus, Valencia and Barcelona.
