Gabby Agbonlahor says Ruben Neves isn’t so different from Granit Xhaka and he isn’t the best player to replace the Swiss midfielder.
Xhaka is on the verge of leaving Arsenal for AS Roma as the Italians relentlessly pursue his signature.
Arsenal might eventually sanction his sale as he looks forward to working with Jose Mourinho in Rome.
He would be a big miss and the Gunners have already started making plans to replace him at the club.
One name that has been in the news as his replacement is Wolves midfield lynchpin, Neves.
The Portugal star is one of the most recognisable names in the Premier League, but Agbonlahor is unconvinced that he is what Arsenal needs.
He says the Wolves man is almost the same player as Xhaka and Arsenal fans want someone who will do more for their attack than either player can.
Agbonlahor told Football Insider: “That’s just going sideways.
“Xhaka and Neves for me are similar players. Both can score screamers, both can score free-kicks but can’t really get around the pitch. They can’t really get the ball back.
“For me, Neves is not the type of player Arsenal need and I think Arsenal fans would agree. Any Arsenal fan I speak to or see is devastated that Buendia chose Villa.
“They’d rather the money spent on an attacking threat. They need to maybe bring in somebody stronger to play alongside Partey in midfield.
“Neves is not the sort of player they need.”