Arsenal: FCP Midfielder Ruben Neves Is Too Expensive A Gamble

FC Porto’s 18-year-old midfielder Ruben Neves is reportedly being targeted by Arsenal. Is a price tag upwards of £20 million worth it?

According to reports in The Sun, Arsenal is pursuing Portuguese teenage midfielder Ruben Neves as a top January transfer target. Neves joins the list of central midfielders that Arsenal reportedly have on their radar for the January window, which already includes William Carvalho, Lars Bender and Grzegorz Krychowiak.

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Player ratings and in-depth statistics for Neves’ domestic league, the Liga Sagres, is hard to obtain. But there is accessible information about the Portuguese midfielder’s time in Europe with FC Porto. Neves is only 19 years old and he has already captained his side twice in the Champions League group stages. And all after making only five career appearances in the competition – all of which have come this season.

At only 180 centimeters, Neves is not the destroyer that Arsenal are looking for as a replacement for Francis Coquelin. He has averaged 2.4 successful tackles per game and 2.6 interceptions per game, neither of which are outstanding statistics for a defensive midfielder. He is, however, remarkably cool in possession for a teenager. Neves has a pass success percentage of over 85 percent in the Champions League, highest among FC Porto players in 2015-16.

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As more of a deep-lying play-maker, Ruben Neves is a different type of player to the other defensive midfielders on Arsene Wenger’s shopping list. His compatriot William Carvalho is three inches taller and much more physically imposing. The same can be said about Lars Bender and Grzegorz Krychowiak.

Because William Carvalho also plays in the Liga Sagres, there are not many statistics to prove his differences to Neves. Carvalho spent a few months on the sidelines injured at the beginning of the season and is still working his way back into the Sporting CP first team. He has made only six appearances in the league so far and only one start in the Europa League.

The same cannot be said about Bender and Krychowiak. Lars Bender has made 4.9 tackles per match and 3.7 interceptions per game through seven appearances in the Bundesliga. Krychowiak has made 2.6 tackles per game and 5.4 interceptions per game in his five games for Sevilla in the Champions League. Both pairs of numbers trump Neves’ totals – which brings the question of cost for each player.

The rumored price tag for Ruben Neves is £22 million. In this current inflated market, that seems a nominal fee for one of Europe’s most talented young players. However, Arsenal’s needs rather than interests must dictate their actions in the January window. Even if Francis Coquelin returns, the Gunners need another powerhouse in the midfield in order to deepen their squad during the difficult winter period.

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If the idea behind Arsenal buying Ruben Neves is that he will slide into the central defensive midfield, there are better alternatives for a similar price. The Portuguese man plays alongside André André in midfield for Porto. FCP defensive midfielder Danilo Pereira is in the side as well. Pereira has the most defensive game of those three, and his positioning behind Neves and André that allows Neves to balance his defensive duties with his tendency to play passes and go forward.

Ruben Neves is the wrong buy for Arsenal. In looking for a future long-term central midfielder, the 19-year-old is one of the best options on earth at the moment. However, with the current depth the Gunners have at that central midfield playmaker position, both Lars Bender and Grzegorz Krychowiak look like better options.

(All statistics are per whoscored.com)