Arsenal's supposed interest in Pedro Neto is a major cause for concern

After failing to secure an audacious deal for Vinicius Junior, Arsenal are scrambling for alternatives ahead of the new season.

Kenan Yildiz has been mentioned as a target, but Juventus are said to be demanding a fortune for the Turk. The same goes for Bradley Barcola, whose mooted asking price is reportedly £140 million, while Marcus Rashford's wages are astronomical, Nico Williams is injury-prone and Rafael Leao is a defensive liability.

Understandably, the Gunners' key decision-makers are running out of ideas in this department. They need someone, and their desperation might just mean they go so far down their shortlist that they end up landing a player supporters won't be enthused by.

Not being enthused by Pedro Neto is putting it lightly. Reports emerged on Monday indicating that the Portuguese winger is on Arsenal's radar, and this speculation certainly hasn't gone down well with the North London club's fanbase.

Arsenal's purported interest in Pedro Neto is concerning

Arsenal's recruitment has, on the whole, been successful over the last five years. Aside from the odd hiccup, the Gunners have added excellent players for reasonable fees; if they hadn't, they wouldn't have ended up in a position to win the Premier League last season.

That said, there have been some dubious pursuits that have understandably raised question marks around the club's recruitment team.

In January 2023, Arsenal reportedly pushed hard to sign Mykhaylo Mudryk, a somewhat promising but incredibly raw winger who looked fast but unspectacular, in the Ukrainian top flight. The fact the Gunners were willing to spend such a significant fee on a player who hadn't even shone in a non-top five league was concerning.

This summer, the Premier League champions were willing to pay close to £100 million for Morgan Rogers before Chelsea bailed them out. Whilst boasting a handful of impressive attributes, Rogers doesn't merit a transfer fee even close to this figure.

These incidents are a reminder that Arsenal have bizarre decisions in their locker, and the recent reports about Neto are another reminder of that. According to journalist Simon Phillips, the Gunners have contacted Neto's camp to express interest in the winger.

Neto has been decidedly average at Chelsea, scoring nine goals and providing 12 assists in 69 Premier League appearances for the Blues. Clearly not an obvious upgrade on Martinelli, Arsenal would be stupid to splash in excess of £70 million (the mooted price tag) on the 26-year-old.

If the club do seriously pursue this deal, it'll once again raise these questions over Arsenal's knack for the odd weird move.

Of course, there could be nothing in these reports. A household Arsenal reporter is yet to verify this interest, but the initial report from Phillips is enough to concern supporters of the North London outfit.

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