This season has been an undeniably strange one for Arsenal.
Mikel Arteta’s side are a game away from potentially making it to only their second Champions League final ever, but they have also completely fallen away in the Premier League.
One of the Gunners’ obvious weaknesses this year has been a lack of clinical finishing up top, but arguably, a lack of creativity has been just as much of a problem; Liverpool, Manchester City, and Chelsea all creating more big chances in the league.
Fortunately, the club seem to be well aware of this problem as well, and, based on recent reports, could be set to sign an incredibly creative attacker from the continent, who could be their own Bruno Fernandes.
Arsenal's transfer targets
With it clear that Arsenal want to add more creativity to the team this summer, it’s worth looking at a couple of their other targets, such as Rayan Cherki and Nico Williams.
The former could be available for around £30m, which would be a bargain, as in just 41 appearances, totalling 2894 minutes, the 21-year-old has scored 12 goals and provided 19 assists.
Williams, on the other hand, would cost significantly more, at £50m, but he too has enjoyed a great campaign, scoring 11 goals and providing seven assists in 44 games.
Transfer Focus
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However, recent reports have now touted another creative attacker for a move to the Emirates: Francisco Trincão.
According to a recent report from the Portuguese newspaper Record, as relayed by the Metro, Arsenal are one of three Premier League sides to have begun talks with Sporting CP for the dynamo.
Manchester United are reportedly one of the other teams incredibly interested in the Portuguese international, who has a release clause in his current deal worth around £66.5m.
It would be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but given Trincão’s immense ability, it’s one worth fighting for, especially as he could be Arsenal’s own Fernandes.
Why Trincão could be Arsenal's own Fernandes
So, if Arsenal can beat the Red Devils to Trincão’s signature this summer, what is it that could make him like their Fernandes?
Well, to start with, there are several more surface-level similarities between the pair, such as them both being Portuguese, both coming from Sporting CP, moving to one of the Premier League’s ‘big six’ and doing so at 25 years old.
However, there is another far more significant similarity between the two players, one that transcends their positional differences: their creativity.
For all the criticism that has been levelled at Fernandes in recent years, one thing that hasn’t been questioned is his technique and ability to either produce assist after assist or score goals himself.
For example, in 285 appearances for United, he has scored 98 goals and provided 85 assists, which comes out to a brilliant average of a goal involvement every 1.55 games.
Appearances
50
28
Goals
9
15
Assists
18
14
Goal Involvements per Match
0.54
1.03
Moreover, in his final half-campaign with Sporting, the 30-year-old scored 15 goals and provided 14 assists in 28 appearances, which was an average of 1.03 goal involvements every game.
Now, while the incredibly “exciting” Trincão, as dubbed by former Wolverhampton Wanderers technical director Scott Sellars, hasn’t quite hit those heights this term, he’s still seriously impressed, scoring nine goals and, more importantly, providing 18 assists in 50 appearances, which comes out to a goal involvement every 1.85 games.
Just imagine if Arsenal had a player that creative in the team this season; there is a real chance that they’d have at least been in the Premier League title fight for a little while longer.
Ultimately, while it would cost a lot, Arsenal should do what they can to sign Trincão this summer, as he would add some much-needed creativity to the team, and could even become their own Fernandes.
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