Arsenal scouts have been spotted watching Porto central midfielder Danilo Pereira in a bid to acquire the services the central midfielder as cover for the erratic Granit Xhaka, according to reports in the Sun.
Portuguese newspaper A Bola reported that representatives from the Premier League giants were in Portugal on Saturday to watch £34.5m star in action during Porto’s 4-2 win over Rio Ave in the Primeira Liga.
Despite the clarity shed on the ambiguity of the news by the source of the rumor, one cannot shake the need to discuss the possibilities it proposes.
This news comes with mixed feelings as Granit Xhaka despite his occasional flaws has garnered massive following amongst The Gunners’ faithful.
Talks of even talking about let alone scouting for a replacement/cover for him doesn’t bode well from whichever side of the equation you are on.
A £35 million acquisition in the summer of the 2016 transfer window with his talents and warts should be cultured into the squad rather than cast aside for whatever reason, however justifiable.
Let’s take an in-depth look at the man considered in this piece.
Danilo Pereira is a Portuguese player who was part of the recent Euros winning squad that defeated France in the final to lift the title.
At the age of 26, Danilo is seen as a versatile goalscoring defensive player who’s primary role lines in the holding midfield but can be used across that patch in the central midfield or center back position effectively.
In Arsenal fans’ terms, he is a Francis Coquelin that scores. With an imposing 6ft 2 inches body structure, a truckload of upper body strength and a knack for effectively disrupting opposition attacks, he is quite a package.
That said, do we really need him at Arsenal right now? There’s no doubt most fans would love to have the likes of Messi and Ronaldo in their attack irrespective of whoever they are chanting for in that position currently but is it realistic?
The North London club have got a plethora of options in that department. With the likes of Coquelin, Ramsey, Elneny (wHo is currently representing Egypt at AFCON), Jeff-Adelaide etc. I personally don’t think it is worth it.
Despite Danilo’s transfer value never reaching £15 million, Porto have set a release clause of £34.5 million for interested parties.
I took a moment to compare his stats against those of Granit Xhaka, see for yourself and tell me honestly if I am wrong.
