Arsenal are reportedly determined to secure the services of Villarreal winger Jeremy Pino, with Edu, on the lookout for ‘promising youngsters’, having deemed him a perfect fit.
The Gunners have five players capable of playing on the wings, with Raheem Sterling recently joining Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard in the squad.
Saka is clearly the most effective of those, having been directly involved in 116 goals for the club.
But he could soon be given competition on the right wing, in the form of Villarreal forward Pino.
According to Fichajes, Arsenal have shown a ‘strong interest’ in signing him. It’s believed they are looking to strengthen their attack, and believe he could ‘fit perfectly’ into the side.
His ability to play on both wings and his ‘maturity’ are said to make him an ideal fit for the Gunners.
What’s more, sporting director Edu is keen to add to the squad with ‘promising youngsters’ and is therefore determined to bring in 21-year-old Pino.
The Gunners were linked with a move for Pino back in 2022, when he had just broken onto the scene with Villarreal.
Since then, the Spaniard has starred at both club and international level, and Arsenal are back.
What they will pay for him remains to be seen, as it will almost certainly be different to what his price was two years ago.
It’s not just Pino who Arsenal are chasing in the final third. TEAMtalk understands that they are one of the Premier League sides keeping a close eye on Viktor Gyokeres, who has already hit nine goals this season.
Meanwhile, they are watching Ademola Lookman, who they played against in Europe lately.
Espanyol goalkeeper Joan Garcia is still on the Gunners’ radar after they failed to get him in January, and TEAMtalk sources state he will be on the move soon.
But Anthony Gordon to the Emirates has been played down by Fabrizio Romano, who states a different profile of forward to him is of interest to Arsenal.
Pino was unfortunate to miss most of last season due to having knee surgery.
However, he’s coming back into form after the layoff, chipping in with an assist in his last appearance.
Prior to his injury, the youngster put up some fantastic numbers. After seven goals and an assist in all competitions in 2020/21, he was given a more regular role by Villarreal next season, and took that in his stride, directly contributing to 10 La Liga goals in 31 appearances.
The season after, in 2022/23, he yet again chipped in with 10 goal contributions. He also broke into the Spain side, debuting as an 18-year-old, and has scored twice and assisted twice in 13 appearances for the European champions so far.
Pino’s consistency at just 21 years of suggests he could become an even more useful attacker when he is older.
