Having contributed 2 goals and 2 assists in 29 appearances last season, the Brazilian will be hoping for a better campaign with Cruzeiro. In fact, he will be aiming to have his best loan spell to date, as his two previous loans with Norwich and Nantes were rather unsuccessful.
For Arsenal, we will surely be hoping for a rise in his stock value, buoyed by an outstanding campaign, so that we can hopefully sell him for a profit. His transfer has clearly been a failed move, but we may yet receive a decent fee for him. On the other hand, Arsenal are still yet to sign an attacking player. There had been suggestions that he could be kept for the remainder of the season to provide an option in place of the injured Bukayo Saka on the right. However, it is now clear that this will not be the case following his latest move. Any hope of reinforcing the attack depends on who we bring in from outside, but there has been little indication of our willingness to spend this window.
As time goes by, all we can do is remain hopeful that things do not stay quiet for long—we need signings!
BENJAMIN KENNETH