Arsenal: Don’t treat Everton Soares like Wilfried Zaha

Everton Soares’ people don’t understand where Arsenal have gone in the transfer saga for the Brazilian and frankly, neither do I.

Arsenal‘s transfer window has shaped up rather nicely with the acquisition of Nicolas Pepe, which followed Dani Ceballos‘ loan announcement. Sandwiched in there was the now ghosted saga for Gremio winger Everton Soares.

After impressing at the Copa America, and with Edu in tow, advocating for Everton Soares, the Gunners were supposedly nearing a deal for the Brazilian winger that would equate to £25m with another £11m or so in add-ons. Meaning that it had all the makings of your typical Arsenal signing this summer, where the fee isn’t met, but it is when all the add-ons kick in.

Ever since we’ve landed Nicolas Pepe, that rumor has gone completely cold. So cold, that even the folks over at Gremio are a bit perplexed as to where the interest is in this young, talented winger.

And I’m a bit confused too. It’s not that we particularly need Soares, but when you consider that acquiring him would mean, the potential is there to be something really special.

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Left wing is still not a point of strength for the Gunners. Bukayo Saka is showcasing big time, and I have massive faith in him for the coming year, but he’s still a teenager and could use some time going up and down between the senior squad and the youth squad. Meanwhile, Gabriel Martinelli looks fantastic, but still needs time to work out the kinks. Plus, he’s still a teenager too.

Soares is conceivably more ready for the workload of a first-teamer, and the fact that he is a left-sided attacker while Nicolas Pepe is a right is why I feel like this isn’t something we should be giving up on. Not to mention the price point being a bit friendlier as well.

If you acquire Everton Soares to compliment Pepe, you unlock the potential of having two true wingers, one on each side of Alexandre Lacazette, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang or both. That’s just pure nastiness, and it’s not something we can replicate without Soares, because we know Iwobi isn’t there yet and, as mentioned Saka and Martinelli may need a bit more time to develop.

The potential is definitely there, and it’s something worth exploring, which is why I’m with Gremio—why did the interest just disappear? There was still a lot to gain in pursuing the Brazilian.