Arsenal told they ‘missed a trick’ by not signing ‘clever’ £40m Premier League ‘kid’
Former Chelsea and Liverpool midfielder Joe Cole insists Arsenal “missed a trick” by not signing Bournemouth striker Evanilson in the summer.
The Brazilian signed for the Cherries in the summer transfer window in a deal worth £40m from Portuguese giants Porto.
Evanilson has quickly found his feet in England with the Fluminense academy product scoring ten Premier League goals in 28 appearances this season.
One of his goals came as Bournemouth came from one goal down on Saturday to beat second-placed Arsenal 2-1 in the Premier League.
The 25-year-old faced a lengthy spell on the sidelines earlier in the season but recovered well to impress for the Cherries this season.
And Cole reckons Evanilson is exactly what Arsenal needed in the summer with Mikel Arteta’s side lacking a top centre-forward, especially in the second half of the season.
Midfielder Mikel Merino has been playing as a makeshift striker after injuries to Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz ruled them out for the season.
Cole said of Evanilson on The Dressing Room Podcast: “I like him. If you put him in the Arsenal team, I think he’s competing for the Golden Boot.
“At the start of the season, they didn’t go for a striker and it’s almost like they are waiting for the perfect one. Why did you not go out and make a bid on Evanilson?
“If Evanilson was at Arsenal, they are a stronger squad straight away. I reckon that adds ten goals and that’s seven or eight points and then the league is much closer and you don’t know what can happen.
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“I just think they’ve missed a trick with this kid. I think his movement is fantastic.”
Arsenal have been linked with a number of strikers ahead of the summer transfer window with new sporting director Andrea Berta expected to bring in a centre forward signing.
And former Premier League striker Carlton Cole agrees with his namesake that Evanilson looks like something Arsenal “might need”.
Cole said: “He’s such a clever striker. He’s a fox in the box but also good at linking up play. A proper old-school centre forward.
“When you look at what Arsenal might need, it’s something like that. Someone that is clever and can read the game.
“He gets his tap-ins but you have to be in a position to score them. He’s always at that far post and reads the game so well to get into the positions of maximum opportunity.”
