According to latest reports, Arsenal are reportedly close to landing Villarreal winger Yeremi Pino this summer. The Gunners have already submitted an offer to sign the young Spanish prospect and the La Liga are set to accept the bid.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has made his need for a right-winger clear to the management this summer transfer window. The North London side went after former Leeds United star Raphinha before he moved to Barcelona in July.
The GOAL reported earlier this month that the Gunners were interested in signing the young Spanish prospect. The youngster has an €80 million (£67.5 million) release clause in his current contract. Pino has spent the last two seasons with the Yellow Submarines, registering 14 goals and five assists in about 80 appearances across all competitions (stats via transfermarkt).
According to Caught Offside, Arsenal submitted a bid of £33m for Yeremi Pino and Villarreal could accept the offer despite the high release clause due to their financial condition. Pino will bring some competition to Bukayo Saka while the transfer would provide some funds to the Spanish side to sort out their financial troubles.
Arsenal are set to beat Liverpool to the £33m signing of Villarreal winger Yeremi Pino. (Metro) pic.twitter.com/yk6zCXHKq0
— Transfer News Central (@TransferNewsCen) August 10, 2022
Player Profile
Yeremi Pino joined Villarreal in 2017 from Las Palmas. Slowly moving his way up the reserves, the Spaniard was given his senior debut at Villarreal in 2020. He featured in the 2020 UEFA Europa League final and in doing so became the youngest ever player to play in the final of a UEFA competition. He also went on to win the final, becoming the youngest player to ever win the Europa League.
The 19-year-old is a technically gifted winger who is also a very good dribbler. The fact that Barcelona were so keen to sign him early in his career does provide an indication of his quality. Pino is blessed with an acceleration of pace but his best ability is probably his incisive dribbling as it allows him to often get into favourable positions inside the box to score.
Though the Spanish winger has primarily featured on the left in the 2021/22 season, he can play on the right wing or even through the middle. The player became the first in his club’s history to score four goals in a league match and the youngest to score three times in the first half itself.
19 year old Yeremi Pino, Villarreal.
Linked by @DiarioAS recently to #Liverpool and Arsenal, the forward displays an explosive style and is able to play anywhere in the front line 🎯⚡️
Villarreal expect to sell him in a region upwards of £30M+ 💰✅pic.twitter.com/qdhI221q1R
— LFC Transfer Room (@LFCTransferRoom) August 10, 2022
He has areas where he needs to improve. He is weak aerially with a low jumping reach and poor heading ability, making him a liability in defensive positions. He is not a very strong player and can be outmuscled easily by physical opponents. In his position, he ranks in the lowest 17% for touches per 90 minutes and in the bottom 23% for pass targets per game.
His composure and coolness represent two of his better assets, yet perhaps he would benefit from demanding the ball more often. He is certainly not shy of shooting, but has been prone to being selfish at times, especially while his teammates were in better positions, a trait that will need to be worked upon in the future.
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Verdict
Yeremi Pino certainly suits Arsenal and their recruitment model thanks to his age and immense potential. The Gunners are not short of quality on the flanks but the youngster’s addition could significantly strengthen them. Following the departures of senior players, Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, they currently lack depth in the final third.
With the addition of the 19-year-old, Nicolas Pepe’s time at the club could finally come to an end. The club-record signing has struggled to live up to his potential at the North London side and has been linked with a move back to France or fellow PL side Newcastle United.
On the other hand, Pino has impressed a lot of top European clubs last season, by finding the net seven times and registering four assists during Villarreal’s spectacular run to the semi-finals of the Champions League.
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