Last summer Arsenal spent quite a bit of time pursuing Brazilian midfield talent, Luiz Gustavo. The former Bayern Munich defensive midfielder fancied a change of surroundings and a move to the Emirates looked to be forthcoming.
In the end talks broke down and he moved to Bundesliga side Wolfsburg. Numerous sources claimed that the 26-year-old opted against a move to Arsenal in favour of a club who could offer him more regular game time.
But I have to say, I find this a little difficult to believe. If Arsenal are genuinely interested in you, are you really likely to sign for a club like Wolfsburg? Wouldn’t you do everything you could to ensure that you earned a move to a club that’s capable of competing for silverware (rather than a mid-table side)?
This makes me wonder how genuine Arsenal’s interest was. It couldn’t be that the media had just spun a story out of nothing, could it?
Either way, Luiz Gustavo has yet to leave the conversation. According to The Star, Tottenham are now weighing up a ‘surprise bid’ for the dynamic Brazilian. Spurs are always looking to one-up their North London rivals and could well view signing Gustavo as an opportunity to do exactly that.
It’s clear that Tottenham need to make further additions to their squad. Yes, Andre Villas-Boas bought in a boat load of players this summer, but they haven’t made the impact he would have hoped. I can’t help but hope that he swoops into the January transfer market and plucks up a centre-forward and another energetic midfield presence.
Wolfsburg’s Sporting Director, Klaus Allofs recently admitted that none of his players are irreplaceable. Check out these quotes: “Even at VfL [Wolfsburg] nobody is unsellable. For me it is important that we show [players] that we are willing to negotiate if an offer is made that is reasonable in a sporting sense and also makes good business sense for VfL.”
It’s thought that he’s got a £20m release clause written into his Wolfsburg contract. That’s a lot of money, but he is a Brazilian international and he’s good enough to improve this Spurs midfield. He’s got real presence, he’s competitive and he can pick out a pass.
I certainly wouldn’t be disappointed if he ended up signing for Spurs.
What’s your take? Could Arsenal have missed a trick when it comes to Luiz Gustavo? Will Spurs profit as a result?
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“If Arsenal are genuinely interested in you, are you really likely to sign for a club like Wolfsburg? Wouldn’t you do everything you could to ensure that you earned a move to a club that’s capable of competing for silverware (rather than a mid-table side)?”
I think you have answered the question you posed.
🙂