While Arsenal fans still have just the Egypt international central midfielder Mohamed Elneny to celebrate, and he is not exactly a household name, we are hoping that the next few days sees Arsene Wenger do a bit more business before the winter transfer window slams shut.
One player we will not be welcoming to Arsenal, though, is the Brazilian forward Alexandre Pato. The former AC Milan star has just signed for Premier League rivals Chelsea on loan until the end of the season. Some Arsenal fans are desperate for Wenger to add to the attacking options the Gunners have and apparently the prof had contacted Pato’s current club Corinthians back in November, as reported by The Independent.
So if the talented Brazilian does well for Chelsea and Arsenal struggle for goals then a lot of fans are going to be wondering why Wenger passed up this transfer chance, especially as the former Gunner Edu is director of football at Corinthians.
However, Pato is Spanish for duck and former Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp suggested to the Evening Standard that the 26-year old could turn out to be a lame variety of his surname for Chelsea.
He said, “If I was a Chelsea fan, I wouldn’t be getting too excited about signing Alexandre Pato.
“They have already got Willian, Oscar and Eden Hazard — where is Pato going to play? They have about four or five players just like him so I don’t see where he fits into Chelsea’s team.
“I was offered Pato at QPR this time last year but we turned him down because he wasn’t what we needed at the time. He played against my Tottenham team when we faced AC Milan in the Champions League but seems to have faded away and ended up back in Brazil.”
So have Arsenal avoided taking on a lame duck or have Chelsea beat us to a quality signing?