Growing interest: Arsenal favourites to land "superstar" Martinelli rival in £50m ace - opinion

Now, Neto is seen by many as an excellent right-winger, but across his career to date, he has started more games out on the left - 44 - than he has on the right - 36.

neto-wolves-clarke-oneil-premier-league

Moreover, he's left-footed, made three appearances at the Euros on the left and started three games on that side for the Old Gold last season, so there is no reason to think he couldn't thrive for the Gunners there as well.

Additionally, if he were to come to North London to play on the right, he'd be up against Bukayo Saka, and based on the last few years of Arteta's management and the fact that the Hale End graduate has already made 226 senior appearances at just 22 years old, it's unlikely he'd get much game time.

Wolves winger Pedro Neto

So, with all that said, signing the Portuguese ace to provide a real long-term challenge for Martinelli on the left starts to make a lot more sense, although, in that case, how do the pair compare?

Well, in terms of output last season, it's the Old Gold's "superstar", as dubbed by pundit and former professional Jamie Carragher, who comes out on top.

Neto vs Martinelli

Players

Neto

Martinelli

Appearances

24

44

Minutes

1729'

2640'

Goals

3

8

Assists

11

5

Goal Involvements per Match

0.58

0.29

Minutes per Goal Involvement

123.5'

203'

All Stats via Transfermarkt

In just 24 appearances, he scored three goals and provided 11 assists, equating to a goal involvement every 1.71 games. In contrast, the Brazilian's return of eight goals and five assists in 44 appearances means he averaged a goal involvement every 3.38 games.

Now, the biggest drawback to signing the Wolves ace is obviously his injury history. Just last season alone, he missed 19 games for the Midlands side, but were he brought in to challenge for games on the left, he might get more time to rest than he does at Molineux.

For example, the former Ituano gem is an undeniably talented player, and if he can get back to near his best next season, then Arteta would be able to rotate between the two exceptionally dangerous widemen, helping to ensure neither one is overplayed.

Ultimately, Neto is an exhilarating player to watch, and while he's spent more time on the right in recent seasons, he's more than capable of playing on the left. Therefore, adding him to Arsenal's array of dynamic attackers can only help the club's ambition to end its two-decade title drought.