Arsenal fans are very happy ever since Mikel Arteta took the charge. Arteta has transformed the gunners and also is building a stable future with new and young signings. Last summer Arsenal went big for Declan Rice and that decision certainly paid off. The Gunners want to pair Rice with another midfielder who can help him along with playing forward. Thomas Partey seems to make his way away from Emirates to make space for new midfielder. Recently Arsenal were linked with various midfielders however it is now reported that they might go after portugese midfielder who is very similar to their former star Cesc Fabregas.
The Gunners wanted to sign Martin Zubimendi at first. However Zubimendi is not interested in leaving Spain. Later, the Premier League runner ups were linked to Amadou Onana and Douglas Luiz. Recently reports claim that two Premier League have been linked with Benfica’s midfielder Joao Neves who has current market value of €55 million according to Transfermarkt. It is believed that Arsenal and Manchester United are willing to pay €60 million for Neves, but it is far less than his release clause. According to Fabrizio Romano, Benfica will demand full €120 million for Neves and will not negotiate for anything less than that. Man United are very interested in Neves. However Arsenal have started to monitor him and may be seen competing with United.
How good was Fabregas at Arsenal
Fabregas joined Arsenal at youth stage from Barcelona. He went on to become Arsenal’s youngest player ever until 2022. He made his Arsenal debut at the age of 16 years and 5 months breaking the record previously set by Jermaine Pennant. It was in 2022 when Ethan Nwaneri broke his record at the age of 15 years and 5 months. However Fabregas is still the youngest goalscorer for the Gunners. Fabregas is also still the only player in Premier League history to achieve the milestone of providing 20 assists as a teenager.
Fabregas was a complete package ever since his younger days. The Spaniard had a world class vision and reading of the game. He was very good in going forward along with dribbling pass defenders. He was equally effective when it came to scoring goals and creating chances. The amazing playmaker had true leadership skills and also captained Arsenal at the age of just 21.
Currently Fabregas is continuing his success as a manager. He has just managed to grab promotion to Serie A with Como. Fabregas in his time as a player played under the top quality managers at the Europe. Fabregas played under the wing of Arsene Wenger at the start of his career at Arsenal. He has also played under Guardiola, Mourinho, Conte and Del Bosque. Fabregas was even considered as an option to take charge of Chelsea after Pochettino left.
How Neves compares to Fabregas
Joao Neves is reported to have similar mental strength to that of Fabregas. The 19 year old midfielder is already making headlines with his amazing performances. Neves has been with Benfica since his younger days. Neves possess same shooting and leadership skills as Fabregas when he was at Arsenal. Despite not being as offensive as Fabregas, the portugese international had very similar vision to that of Fabregas.
Neves has been highly praised by Portugal national team manager Roberto Martinez. He has also been called up by Martinez for the upcoming Euros.
“In two days he gained the respect of the entire Portugal locker room” – Roberto Martinez about Joao Neves.
Neves made his international debut last October. He has played 6 international matches until now. It won’t be a surprise if more big clubs make move for him after Euros.
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