BARCELONA, SPAIN - OCTOBER 20: Norberto 'Neto' Murara of FC Barcelona looks on during the UEFA Champions League Group G stage match between FC Barcelona and Ferencvaros Budapest at Camp Nou on October 20, 2020 in Barcelona, Spain. Sporting stadiums around Europe remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
According to Football.london, Arsenal are looking at Barcelona keeper Neto as a backup to Bernd Leno. The Gunners are looking at alternatives for their second-choice Alex Runarsson after a string of poor displays. Mikel Arteta is believed to have made recruiting a goalkeeper a priority (h/t Express). Neto has emerged as a target and is valued at around £18m.
After the departure of Emiliano Martinez to Aston Villa, Arsenal replaced him with Alex Runarsson. In the cup games he has featured, the former Dijon man hasn’t exactly inspired a lot of confidence. His biggest test came against Manchester City and safe to say, he fluffed his lines badly. His errors gifted Man City the lead at various points in the game.
While Leno has done a splendid job between the sticks, expecting him to play each and every game in a condensed campaign is asking too much. Arsenal need a decent backup to him with two cup competitions still going on. There’s also so many league games to go through.
During his time with Juventus, Neto largely played second-fiddle to Gigi Buffon and managed just 22 appearances in two seasons. In 2017, he joined La Liga club Valencia, where he would go on to feature 80 times in two years. 2019 saw him make the move to Barcelona. However, he has hardly played for the Catalans since joining the club. The 31-year-old has featured just 14 times in all competitions for the La Liga giants, keeping 5 clean sheets.
However, Neto is a reliable shot-stopper and has featured for some of the biggest clubs in Europe. He also has experience of being a second-choice which should aid Arsenal’s issue. While £18m may seem like a bit of a stretch to pay for a backup keeper, factors such as Barcelona not really looking to sell are driving the value upwards.
Arsenal need quality between the sticks and Neto ticks quite a few boxes of their requirements. He can not only stand in as backup but also stake a claim for the starting spot. His Valencia stint shows that he can be a good pick if given a run of games. Arsenal need to keep monitoring the situation in the event they can sign Neto.