Gunners Weigh Winter Move for £69m-Rated Winger Amid Left-Wing Crisis
Arsenal’s left flank problem refuses to go away — and now the club is reportedly circling a familiar Premier League name to fix it.
According to Caught Offside, the Gunners have begun scouting Chelsea winger Pedro Neto ahead of a possible January raid, with representatives already sounded out over a potential deal.
The interest stems from a summer window that left Arsenal’s attack looking lopsided. Despite five permanent additions, only one — Christos Tzolis — arrived as a forward, and Mikel Arteta’s side waved goodbye to both Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli without bringing in like-for-like cover. Tzolis has shown flashes of promise but looked exposed against a well-drilled Aston Villa defence, hinting at rockier days ahead as opponents learn how to nullify him.
Enter Neto, whose £60–69 million valuation has also caught the eye of Manchester City and Saudi giants Al-Hilal.
Why Neto Might Not Solve Arsenal’s Problem
There’s just one snag: Neto isn’t really a left winger. The Portuguese has built his career on the right, where Arsenal are already stacked with Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke and rising star Max Dowman.
His numbers on the opposite flank tell their own story — just 11 goals and 11 assists in 82 appearances when deployed on the left. At 26, a sudden tactical transformation seems unlikely.
Arsenal’s summer already saw them miss out on Morgan Rogers (to Chelsea, for £117m) and Vinicius Junior, who signed a new Real Madrid deal instead. Julian Alvarez, too, slipped through their fingers.
With a genuine left-wing specialist still the priority, chasing Neto risks repeating old mistakes rather than solving them.