The in-form forward on Arsenal’s transfer radar – and whether they’ll make a surprise January bid
Arsenal have been linked with a young striker who’s scoring for fun in Serie A - but is a January transfer really on the cards?
Much of Arsenal’s summer was spent in the ultimately fruitless pursuit of a new forward. Julián Alvarez and Vinícius Junior were both publicly courted but neither truly came close to a move. An alternative was never found, and the Gunners have entered the new season with the feeling that they may be a little light on firepower up front.
Given that none of their primary targets seem likely to become available during the January transfer window, it’s not especially surprising to see them being linked with a less starry young striker whose recent form could make him a potential target over the winter: Monza’s Gustavo Varela. The Portuguese can’t stop scoring in Serie A – so could Arsenal make a move for him in the coming months?
Arsenal interested in Gustavo Varela – reports
According to Italian media outlet Calciomercato, Arsenal are one of a handful of sides who have sent scouts to watch the 21-year-old Varela in action, and are apparently one of three teams who have shown particular interest in a young forward who has scored nine goals in his first eight games of the season for Monza.
Napoli, too, are said to be highly interested, as are Benfica, the teams whose academy Varela emerged from. The striker, who has represented Portugal at Under-21 level, only made a single senior appearance for Benfica before leaving but a sell-on clause in the transfer which sent him to Italy means that they have leverage in any future negotiations.
Varela only signed for Monza over the summer after a successful loan spell with Gil Vicente, but although he only penned a four-year deal with his new employers in July it’s stated by Calciomercato than Monza are “willing to sell him” in order to cash in on his remarkable early-season form.
The financial details of a potential deal aren’t discussed in a report, although any fee would be far higher than the estimated £2.5m which Monza paid just a few short months ago.
It’s not clear whether there’s any chance that a side like Arsenal would be able to sign him in January or not, and much may depend on whether Monza still seem to be in any danger of relegation. Given that they are perched just three points above the bottom three at this early stage of the season, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they chose to delay any potential deal until next summer, even with the promise of a significant profit.
Why Varela is attracting attention – and whether Arsenal will sign him
Varela is, in many ways, a classic quick number nine – pacy and blessed with clever movement and a sudden burst of acceleration that helps him to find half-spaces in the box to score from. The question is whether his incredible recent form is sustainable.
Varela enjoyed an impressive scoring record with Benfica’s youth teams before moving to Gil Vicente for his first real taste of senior football, but his production with one of the Portuguese league’s lesser lights wasn’t overwhelming – he scored six goals in 32 games during his loan spell.
The seven goals he’s scored in seven Serie A games (to go with a brace against Avellino in the Coppa Italia) came as something of a surprise, and his finishing has been lethal since he made the move to Monza. Those seven goals have come from just 3.44xG’s worth of chances. Either he has levelled up very significantly, very swiftly, or he is riding the crest of a wave which he’s unlikely to get on top of forever.
His scoring record, in other words, has attracted the attention of bigger sides like Arsenal, but they’ll likely be watching to see how sustainable his form is before they make a move. Calciomercato’s report, which lacks a certain degree of detail and doesn’t suggest that any discussions have taken place as yet, feels speculative – an indication of initial curiosity rather than an impending bid.
It won’t help Varela’s case that he lacks the all-round game that many of the very best centre-forwards of his type possess – his link-up play and passing are indifferent, he isn’t especially effective in the high press and his success rate with dribbles is low. He doesn’t beat defenders with the ball at his feet, but with his movement.
None of that would matter, of course, if he kept scoring at a rate of a goal every game. If he really can keep that up, then sides of Arsenal’s stature will be in the bidding. As it stands, however, Varela has yet to prove that this is his new, long-term level, and there is no solid evidence that Arsenal are doing anything more than keeping a watching brief.
With a January sale seeming somewhat implausible, the chances are that this particular report is getting ahead of itself. Perhaps Varela really can keep it going and earn a big move next summer – but there’s a lot of football to be played between now and then. The young striker has made himself one to watch. Arsenal likely won’t do much more than watch for now.