Arsenal could weaken Porto by signing £65m player from them in January, they have been linked - opinion

The Portuguese side are by no means an easy opponent, however the general feeling is things could have been a lot worse.

Mikel Arteta will surely be equally pleased to avoid the likes of Inter Milan or Napoli, who can wait for a later round, should Arsenal progress.

But given Arsenal will play Porto in the club’s first knockout tie for some time, they will now face a player they were often linked with in the past.

Arsenal are often connected with the signing of an elite winger to complement the likes of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.

And they will now face 26-year-old wide-man Pepe who has impressed Mikel Arteta in the past.

Arsenal were linked with a £65m move for Brazilian Pepe, who does have one cap for his country.

And whilst those links have cooled, perhaps Arsenal could reignite that interest in order to weaken Porto ahead of their Champions League tie.

Arsenal could easily target a winger in January, and Pepe may now look like a smart choice.

Arsenal will now face transfer target Pepe in the Champions League against Porto

Of course, it does remain to be seen if Arsenal will conduct any business in January.

This squad looks well prepared for Arteta’s aspirations this season, even if they are reliant on a few key players.

However, when the likes of Thomas Partey and Takehiro Tomiyasu return from injury, the squad will look stronger again.

Pedro Neto is probably the winger Arsenal have been linked with the most ahead of January, but perhaps that’s a deal that will wait.

It’ll certainly be interesting to see the shape of Arsenal’s squad when they face Porto in the Champions League in a couple of months’ time.

And although weakening Porto through the signing of Pepe may seem like a good idea, perhaps the focus of Arsenal’s business will be elsewhere.