Arsenal should look to Olympics for new players
Published:
If the gossip columns are to be believed, Arsene Wenger is looking to reinvigorate Arsenal and get rid of some players who he has stood by for a long time.
Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Kieran Gibbs have made 694 combined appearances for the Gunners, but the only trophy they have managed to claim is the FA Cup.
Indeed, only Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Vieira have played more games under Wenger for Arsenal than Walcott.
The French manager will need to replace this England trio with talented players if he ships them out and once Arsenal to advance as a team, with the Olympics serving as the perfect place for him to look for new recruits.
At London 2012, the likes of Neymar, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Oscar were all strutting their stuff and none of them were yet to move to the club where they would go on to make their name.
Neymar scored three goals in the tournament as Brazil made the final, but it still took another year for Barcelona to sign the talented forward.
Meanwhile, Aubameyang was the star man for a Gabonese team that was able to pick up a surprise draw against Switzerland.
Oscar agreed a move to Chelsea as the tournament was underway, but still little was known in Europe about the former Internacional attacking-midfield at that point.
This edition of the Olympics will be another showcase of some of the best young talent the world has to offer and, due to some senior players being involved and the competitive nature of the tournament, will serve as a good chance to see which of those can cut it.
Felipe Anderson, the much talked about Lazio winger is likely to be the star of the Brazil team, but 22-year-old Corinthians forward Luciano has scored five times in six appearances for the national sides’ Under 23 team and is likely to cause problems on home soil.
Other names to look out for include: Denmark’s Lucas Andersen, Ruben Neves of Portugal and the Argentine Angel Correa.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
