With the summer transfer window over, it would be logical to think that January could be a quiet market for Arsenal.
Andrea Berta and Mikel Arteta have teamed up to spend huge amounts of money to prepare for the 2025/26 season, but they needed to.
The jury is still out on the line of Victor Gokeres, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke, but the depth they added to the defense was more than needed.
Much has been said about the depth of the Gunners’ squad, and with almost every player in their backline injured at some point this term, they needed extra bodies.
You may need more depth for the winter.
Arsenal pursue former Premier League midfielder
Over the summer, no position remained untouched as Arsenal prepared to attack for the title.
But perhaps the position where depth is lacking the most at the moment is midfield.
Declan Rice missed Arsenal’s game against Aston Villa on Tuesday night due to injury, and Declan Rice feels he needs someone to help him.
Rice is irreplaceable, but it is also essential to increase the amount of rice to reduce the burden of work. The same can be said of fellow midfielder Martin Zvimendi, who has played almost every minute since joining from Real Sociedad in the summer.
According to Caught Offside, one option is former Wolverhampton Wanderers star Ruben Neves.
The Portuguese maestro left Molineux for the Saudi fortunes in 2023, but is now said to be keen on a return to European football.
According to the newspaper, Neves is in fact in talks to be offered by several top clubs, including Arsenal. However, no concrete answer has been given by the head of transfer at Emirates Stadium.
Other reports suggest he could be available for as little as £15m as his contract expires in the summer. This is a significant discount compared to the £47m Al Hilal paid for him.
Comparison of Ruben Neves and Declan Rice
If Arteta and his team are able to sign Neves in January, he would be the perfect foil for both Rice and Zvimendi.
In many ways, the former Wolves man is in a similar position to Cesc Fabregas.
Able to play as a playmaker in deep positions, his passing range and ability to dictate tempo are top-notch. However, he also has the ability to storm forwards and influence play in the final third.
Not only is he an exceptional passer, but he is also a devastating shooter from range. In fact, nine of his 13 non-penalty goals for Wolves in the Premier League came from outside the box. This is clearly an area where Arsenal need to improve.
It feels like the aforementioned Rice is the only player in Arteta’s team who has a similar ability. Remember those two free kicks we scored against Real Madrid? Of course we can’t forget them.
Both have built reputations as dead-ball specialists. Rice has yet to score from a dead-ball situation since his magical effort against Madrid, but he is now one of the best corner-takers in Europe.
Similarly, Neves is quite good at set pieces. The 28-year-old has scored seven direct free-kicks in his career, three of which came in the Premier League, with the latest coming in a Saudi Pro League match in November.
There is no doubt that Rice has become a more well-rounded player since Neves played in England’s top flight, but data from the 2022/23 season suggests they are more similar than just their set-piece prowess.
2022/23 Neves vs Rice | ||
|---|---|---|
Statistics (per 90 minutes) | Neves | rice |
the goal | 018 | 0.11 |
assist | 0.03 | 0.03 |
pass completed | 51.6 | 50.7 |
key pass | 0.96 | 1.02 |
Advance to final 3rd place | 6.03 | 6.40 |
progressive path | 6.51 | 6.59 |
The action that creates the shot | 2.39 | 2.75 |
tackle win | 1.28 | 1.04 |
intercept | 1.49 | 1.73 |
Statistics by FBRef. | ||
According to FBref, the second most similar player to Neves in the Premier League was indeed Rice.
The numbers help show why. At that point, his goals and assists per 90 minutes were about the same. Perhaps the most interesting similarity is their deaths.
During that period, the amount of key passes and progressive passes they made were about the same. Their shot-creating movements and defensive movements were also very similar. There’s a reason analyst Raj Chauhan calls him an “incredible technician.”
Of course, Rice is now an even more violent presence in midfield, but Neves certainly shares many similar traits with Arsenal’s record signing. Think of him as a cross between Zvimendi and the club’s number 41.
The opportunity to add Neves to the team, who is at the peak of his career and looking for more talent, is too good to turn down.
