Arsenal: Bernard is free and free is good, so Bernard is good

Arsenal are now being linked to out-of-contract Brazilian winger Bernard. There is enough here to make it a good deal and nothing to make it bad.

Arsenal are apparently taking the search for a winger seriously, as they are now heavily linked to Gelson Martins and the newcomer, Brazilian winger Bernard, who spent his entire five-year deal with Shaktar Donetsk and is now moving on.

Recent reports have indicated that both Arsenal and Liverpool are keen on the guy, and while he isn’t the hottest name on the marketplace, he does have a lot of things going right for him to be an attractive Arsenal target.

Namely that he is free.

It’s never fun to start talking finances, but with the transfer budget already essentially being used up, minuscule though it was, it only makes sense that the cheaper that we can address other needs, the better.

Bernard is not a show-stopper, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be one. He’s just 25 and for his time in the Ukraine, he has a lot to brag about. This past season in particular, while he only played 18 domestic matches, he provided nine goals, six himself and three assists.

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It’s hard to argue with a goal contribution every other game. And while many will say that his competition isn’t anything to talk about, the point is that he is no stranger to contributing to goals. He also scored three goals of his own in the Champions League, one of which was against Manchester City.

Again, we have to think frugally, and Bernard is a frugal solution.

When it comes to wide options, I don’t think the Gunners have to be that picky. More times than not, they will be playing a narrow, creative formation, because that is what they have been built to accommodate.

All they really need from a winger is pace, a penchant for creativity and the ability to stay wide primarily.

Bernard checks all those things off the list.

The troubling thing about the Gunner’s pursuit of a winger is that they really need two, seeing as how they don’t have any. Wingers are expensive, at least the best ones are, so they are having to get creative. Gelson Martins is a very real solution, but aside from that, who?

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Bernard is who. He is a solid second option, seeing as how I highly doubt the Gunners will take my advice and pursue Xherdan Shaqiri.

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