Man City beat Arsenal to ‘future-proof’ signing as report reveals Arteta’s ‘concern’ with ‘primary target’

According to reports, Arsenal were Vitor Reis’ ‘most likely destination’ before Premier League rivals Manchester City beat them to the signing.
Man City were Europe’s biggest spender during the winter transfer window as they invested around £180m to sign Reis, Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov and Nico Gonzalez.
Arsenal meanwhile did not make a January signing as head coach Mikel Arteta is left with Kai Havertz as their only fit centre-forward option.
This is a blow to their Premier League title hopes as the Gunners sit six points adrift of table-toppers Liverpool, who also have a game in hand.
It is widely accepted that the Gunners need to sign a top-tier striker and they made a shock move to sign England international Ollie Watkins from Aston Villa in January.
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RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko and Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres have been mentioned as targets, but a new report from The Athletic claims Reis was picked out as a ‘primary target’ for Arsenal before the winter transfer window opened.
The 19-year-old progressed through the ranks at Brazilian outfit Palmeiras and Man City paid around £30m to sign him as they kickstarted their major rebuild following their dire end to 2024.
The report claims several Arsenal met in November 2024 to decide their transfer priority before their plan was ‘thrown into some doubt’.
‘Arsenal’s leadership convened in Los Angeles in November to discuss, among other things, plans for the January transfer window.
‘Arteta, executive vice-chair Tim Lewis and managing director Richard Garlick all made the trip. They were joined by Jason Ayto, who had stepped in as interim sporting director just days prior, after the resignation of Edu.
‘At that stage, Arsenal’s vision for the window was to lean in to the long term — to try to recruit development players who could flesh out the existing squad, but also deliver value over the coming years.
‘The primary targets under discussion were two 18-year-olds: Brazilian centre-half Vitor Reis, and Norway youth international Sverre Nypan.
‘There was also, however, an acknowledgement that the January window is often about being reactive, and attending to the immediate needs of the squad.
‘When Saka tore his hamstring on December 21, Arsenal’s plans were thrown into some doubt. When Jesus injured his anterior cruciate ligament on January 12, the search for a new forward intensified.’
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Man City eventually ‘stole a march on Reis’ as Arteta had one ‘concern’ about ‘spending’ on ‘future-proof’ Reis.
‘In the intervening period, Manchester City had stolen a march on Reis. Arsenal had watched him extensively, including having an in-person presence at Palmeiras’ game against Corinthians on November 5. At that time, Arsenal were seen as his most likely destination — ahead even of Real Madrid. Reis was identified as a player to future-proof the centre of Arsenal’s defence.
‘But there was debate over how finances should be allocated. Arsenal entered January with a sizeable but finite budget — especially given summer plans to move for Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi.
‘Ayto and new director of football operations James King have picked up the baton from Edu in the Zubimedi talks, and Arsenal remain strongly positioned to win the race for the Spain international’s signature.
‘Some at Arsenal, including Arteta, felt resource should be reserved in case it was needed to attend to the immediate needs of the first team. Reis would have cost around £30million ($37m).
‘Even before Jesus went down injured, Arteta had concerns about spending that much on a player who was unlikely to be a difference-maker for Arsenal this season — and in a position in which Arsenal already had considerable depth.’