Arsenal: Goncalo Guedes transfer delicious in its parallels

Arsenal have been tied to Goncalo Guedes before, when he was “the next Ronaldo,” but this time around, the parallels are just too delicious to pass up on.

Arsene Wenger is one of a kind in how much he delights in transfers he missed. Cristiano Ronaldo is one such guy. Wenger has spoken multiple times about how he nearly snagged the then-teenage-starlet Portuguese to Arsenal.

It was that parallel that first made Goncalo Guedes an intriguing proposition, because in his teenage years, he was touted as “the next Cristiano Ronaldo.”

That faded pretty quickly, but the parallels haven’t ended there.

Related Story: 5 Things Learned Against Nottingham Forest

Now, Guedes is tied to Arsenal again, this time in a much less-hyped circumstance. He has not found his fortune at PSG and has instead been finding joy on loan at Valencia, where he might be aiming to stay. But for the time being, we can entertain thoughts of him coming to Arsenal.

At the very least, it is pretty certain that he will be sold for around £30m due to financial pressure on PSG following their purchase of Neymar.

So where do the parallels come into it? Glad you asked.

Goncalo Guedes is a 21 year old wide midfielder with all the potential in the world. He also has experience as a striker. Following?

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win

Robin van Persie was acquired as a 21 year old winger with potential to be a striker. Thierry Henry was acquired as a 22 year old winger with potential to be a striker. In both cases, Arsene Wenger was able to turn them into world class strikers. The latter of which became the greatest striker in Premier League history, the former cobbled his way up those ranks and ended up pretty high.

That’s a lot of pressure to put on Guedes. Theo Walcott couldn’t live up to that same pressure. But that makes the winger-to-striker success rate at 67%. If there is a manager capable of turning immensely talented young wingers into world class strikers, it has to be Arsene Wenger.

Meaning that we better get on the ball with Guedes, because Wenger only has one year left.

The young Portuguese attacker has a decent enough track record. Not all that dissimilar to van Persie’s when he made the move.

Next: Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest Player Ratings

Of course, if you’re not one to believe in the magic, then accept that for the price and the upside, worst case scenario we get a capable wide attacker with potential for more. Not the the worst return on investment.