Saka’s extraordinary run of 87 consecutive Premier League starts came to an end on Sunday, as the winger was ruled out with an injury for Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Manchester City.
His absence didn’t prove costly in that game but questions will be raised as to how the Gunners would cope without the England international for an extended period.
Silvestre believes his former club need to sign a backup option to prevent Saka from burning out, and believes Neto – who’s also been linked with Liverpool – would be a good choice.
He told bettingexpert.com: “He (Saka) needs to be rested. That’s important. He needs to be protected.”
“It could be one of the areas where the manager could be looking at bringing someone in. Especially because of the schedule in England with the three domestic competitions, the Champions League and on top of that, you put England games, that’s a lot of football.”
“It will make sense to have someone come in if it’s not from within the team.”
“Yeah, Pedro Neto is a good player, and he’s had a good start to the season.”
“He’s very direct, creating chances, and he’s a good player. He could be one backup option for Saka.”
Multiple pundits this week have questioned whether Arsenal have what it takes to win the Premier League without the addition of a new striker in January.
Ivan Toney has been heavily linked, but while Silvestre understands why they might be interested in the Brentford goalcorer, he’s not convinced he will be on the Gunners’ shortlist.
Silvestre added: “Ivan Toney, not really. I don’t think he would be the target for Arsenal, but maybe they’ve seen a lack of physicality in the box.”“Some games we’ve touched on, like against Man Utd, winning not ugly, but playing direct football, long balls in the box.”
“Arsenal, when it comes to set pieces, crosses in the box, maybe they’re lacking height. Jesus, Nketiah, Saka, Martinelli, you got Havertz, who’s tall but not the strongest. Saliba, Rice, Gabriel and Ben White. They could add a striker like Toney.”
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