Arsenal are reportedly monitoring Porto’s midfielder Danilo Pereira, who has been deemed as a potential alternative to Atletico Madrid star Thomas Partey.
Thomas Partey has being on Arsenal’s radar since his release clause of £45million had been reported. It has been widely believed that the Gunners are after the Ghanian international midfielder as one of Mikel Arteta’s major recruit since taking over the managerial position in December 2019.
Though the Gunners had turned Pablo Mari and Cedric Soares’s loan deal into a permanent contract but Arsenal were still being linked with Thomas Partey under the recommendation of Arsenal Technical director Edu Gasper.
With the prolong uncertainty surrounding Atletico Madrid’s willingness to bring down their valuation of Partey, Arsenal have now been linked with Porto’s captain Danilo Pereira, who has just recently spoken on his admiration of Arsenal’s interest in his services.
Danilo stated his believe about being a good fit under Mikel Arteta at the Emirates, disclosing to Stats Perform News: “I think he [Arteta] is doing a really, really, good job there. He is a really good coach who started as the second coach at [Manchester] City, so he has a little experience and Arsenal play very good football and I think he is doing very well there.
“He is a Spanish coach, he is a bit similar to Portuguese coaches, they also want to play with the ball and improve with the ball, so I think he is a good coach. The style I think I can fit there, the way he plays also thinking on the ball, the team always has to be together – I think it is a good way to play.
“Of course I like to be here in Porto to be here in my country, but I want to be in a better league like the Premier League. I always dreamed about playing in that league. I played also in Serie A but I think the Premier League is a huge league and one day I want to play there, to improve to be a better player. I think it’s the best league in the world.”
The 28-year-old Portuguese midfielder has a release clause of €40million, after signing a four-year contract with FC Porto in 2015.
The power horse midfielder has shown remarkable qualities as a defensive midfielder, being blessed with enviable strength, technical ability and defensive intelligence, while he can also be dangerous with his accurate passes which has been one of his major strength, as he average 87.1% per game thus far this season.
Standing at 188cm, the Portuguese midfielder has an intimidating and strong physique which gives him an advantage in winning majority his aerial and ground duels.
He’s an astute tough tackler and his ability to impose himself in games makes him a frustrating figure to play against. Not many opponents wishes to face the physically imposing midfielder, as he’s incredibly strong on and off the ball, full of agility, tenacity and power.
It is understood that Porto’s financial situation caused by the Pandemic crisis has made the club to be willing to lower their asking price for the midfielder.
With Pereira’s public admiration of Arsenal’s interest, it has now made the speculation surrounding a move to Arsenal more feasible for the Portuguese international midfielder incase Thomas Partey’s deal fails.
