Arsenal Transfer Rumors: Everton Soares a dream signing

Arsenal need to figure out what’s going on with their winger situation, and that being the case, Everton Soares could be a dream come true.

As Summer rolls along, Arsenal remain in desperate pursuit of a winger with true first team quality. Wilfried Zaha has been the main focus of Gunner’s attention and although the Ivorian is a quality player with extensive Premier League experience, as well as the 1v1 ability that Unai Emery so desires, his £80m price tag is outrageous and Arsenal clearly need to search for cheaper alternatives.

A player who checks all the boxes for Emery is Everton Soares.

Relatively unknown to many until his exceptional performances at Copa America, Soares is a mere 23 years of age and a true winger who will attack defenders and create space for teammates.

His quality can not be understated, nor could it be more valuable to an Arsenal side that lacks a true winger who demands the ball at his feet.

In Neymar’s absence, the Gremio winger starred for the South American champions, establishing himself as the starting left winger over the likes of Richarlison and David Neres.

His pace, close control, nifty dribbling and superb finishing are so exceptional that I would personally value him between £50m-£60m, but Gremio are said to be asking for a mere £36m. This is essentially Arsenal’s entire rumored transfer budget, but in reality Arsenal will surpass this supposed budget anyway while player sales could provide even more of a cushion.

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If we bid £40m for Zaha, its clear we have the funds to pay £36m for Soares. In addition to this, his wages would be significantly less than that of a Zaha since Soares is still only 23 and moving from a small club that undoubtedly pays him significantly less than the 26 year old Zaha’s £130,000 a week.

Many top clubs across Europe such as United, City, PSG, AC Milan and Bayern Munich are also reportedly interested in the young Brazilian sensation but the GUnners have one thing those clubs don’t: Edu.

As I have written about extensively, Edu provides the Gunners with a link to the world of Brazilian football. The General Manager of the Brazil team at Copa America, Edu likely has a personal relationship with Soares that he can use to lure the Brazilian to North London.

Fortunately for Arsenal, on top of their Edu connection, Gremio are reportedly very open to selling. As is the case with many Brazilian teams, they cannot afford to demand an outrageous fee and in times of negotiation often have to acquiesce to the desires of the financially superior club while they are desperate for funds.

To state the obvious, Everton Soares is a special player. He has the type of quality and trickery that could turn this club around almost immediately. His crafty wide play and rapid dribbling is something we have lacked since Alexis Sanchez left and something that we so desperately need in the first team for the upcoming season.

I cannot think of a better move. Despite his stunning performances at the Copa America and rumored interest from many top clubs, no official bids seem likely in the immediate future and Arsenal must act fast before their competitors start to realise what they will miss out on.