Arsenal is expected to complete the signing of the coveted teenager, Joelson Fernandes in the next few hours, according to A Bola.
The teenager has been on the radar of Arsenal for the past few weeks and the Gunners have maintained their interest in his signature.
The publication claims that the Arsenal’s representatives and his agent, Kia Joorabchian, are expected to be in Lisbon soon to iron out the details of the transfer.
It claims that the Portuguese side has no choice but to sell him now because Arsenal is prepared to pay his 45 million euros release clause.
The Portuguese side has been looking to get him on a new deal for some time now, which will have allowed them to increase his release clause.
However, they have been unable to convince him to sign the new forms and they will now lose their crown jewel to Arsenal.
Mikel Arteta has given chances to some teenage stars in the Arsenal system this season, and it appears that the Spaniard is happy to continue trusting the youngsters next season.
Joelson is being pursued by Juventus and Barcelona as well, so the Gunners want to get his transfer over the line as fast as they can.
Where did we get 45 M from?
Why would we spend it on a 17 year old?
Why would we spend 45 M on a forward when we are desperatly in need of central defenders and central midfielders?
I am not holding my breath on this one.
You are quite right. IF we had £45m, it would get what should be our #1 priority,Partey.
We don’t need a winger, we need to sort the defence and midfield!! FML
The relationship between Kia Joorabchian and Arsenal’s Raul Sanllehi is a matter of concern to me.Just who is calling the shots here?Agents should not be the instigators of transfer deals as far as I am concerned.We should try to buy players on the recommendation of our own scouting staff not at the behest of someone with a vested interest in the deal.Why are we pursuing a young winger when our needs lie in other areas?This incestuous method of arranging transfers needs to be stopped by our Hierarchy and indeed the Football authorities at large.
I see this report as a hoax @ Grandad. If not, then I expect the MA that I know (hungry for success, knowing what he needs to fix his team and fearless) to stand on his feet, and begin to have fracas with Raul soon because this is outrageous. A solid central defensive midfielder is what we need. This misplaced prioritisation that has hit us over the years must cease.
@Grandad It worries me too. Is Raul being paid by Joorabchian or what? Why else would Raul allow this? I mean Willian, Soares, this young player and Couthino are hardly the best we can get it is?
One thing is for sure, we will not be paying £45m for him unless the installments are spread out over the millennium.
There have been a lot of reports in recent days on this (albeit from one source, A Bola in Portugal) so it seems there is something to this.
If the amount is reasonable, then I think fans have to realise that at this point, although we absolutely need to address other areas urgently, we need to improve recruitment, which has one core objective: to increase the value of our investments. This boy looks to be a real talent, and one whose value will increase substantially whether he remain with us or move on.
I also don’t believe there is any substance to the suggestion that Kia is influencing recruitment. Having a good relationship with an agent who has many excellent players on his books can surely only bode well for the future. Ultimately if Edu, Raul and (let’s not forget) Arteta aren’t interested, it won’t happen. There’s no incentive to do otherwise – they f&*! up, they lose their jobs. Simples.
but this particular is a future star we must not loose him
All my instincts tell me this story is falsely concocted nonsense. There is no way we are going to pay this sort of figure for an untried teenager when money is short and three quarters of our players need replacing. It is just not going to happen. Don’t believe it folks, as I don’t and I make substantial and regular pro betting money by backing my own , unbiased, properly thought out personal opinions.
If this deal will happen, it means we have concluded deals for a center half and a midfielder settled already ,maybe just waiting for the FA cup final.the way I see it,I think we are just looking for 3 or 4 players, a Center half,a winger to stretch the team, and two midfielders( a play maker and either a box to box or holding midfielder.