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Ruben Neves has now revealed he came close to joining Arsenal last summer.
The 26-year-old made the comments when speaking to O Jogo.
So, what did Ruben Neves say about Arsenal? Let’s take a look…
Ruben Neves admits he almost joined Arsenal
Well, the Portugal international left Wolves to join Al-Hilal in a deal worth back in June 2023.
However, Neves could have been pulling strings at the Emirates Stadium rather than in Saudi Arabia.
The Al-Hilal No.8 : “I was close to three clubs and it ended up not happening, which saddened me and helped me make the decision to go to Al-Hilal.
“I didn’t want to mention names, but Barcelona was one of the hottest and it wasn’t a lie. It was close to happening, just like with Arsenal.”
Arsenal have seemingly admired Neves for a while now.
Arsene Wenger apparently wanted to sign the Portuguese playmaker back in 2016.
It was also said that Mikel Arteta has been asking Edu to sign Neves for some time now, although the timing has simply never worked out for the Gunners.
The 26-year-old has impressed over in Saudi Arabia, scoring goals while also providing six assists in 28 appearances so far this season.
Mikel Arteta could do with another holding midfielder
You can see why Arsenal showed interest in signing Neves, as Arteta’s holding midfield options are thin.
Arsenal are currently fielding Jorginho to pull the strings at the base of midfield, with Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard pushing forward in No.8 roles.
However, if the Italy international were to pick up an injury, Arteta does not really have a midfield general who can control games from deep like his No.20 can, without having to readjust Rice or Odegaard.
Therefore – whether interest in Neves is resurrected or another playmaker is targeted – Arsenal could certainly use another midfield maestro.