Arsenal Transfer News: Gunners Need Patience in Anderson Talisca Chase

Arsenal are being linked with a transfer move for Brazilian sensation Anderson Talisca, but the Gunners will have to display patience in the chase for the Benfica Lisboa midfielder.

The attacking midfielder, who can also play as a forward, has enjoyed an incredible start to his career in Europe, scoring six goals in seven league games, the most ever by a foreign import in Portugal's top division, per the Daily Mirror's John Cross.

His excellent form hasn't gone unnoticed, as the 20-year-old is already being scouted by the Gunners and Liverpool, via Cross:

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Arsenal and Liverpool are scouting Benfica's Brazilian sensation Anderson Talisca.

The two Premier League giants had spies at Benfica's 4-0 win over Arouca on Sunday, when Talisca was on target.

The 20-year-old, who was signed from Bahia in his homeland for just £3million this past summer, has scored six goals in seven games - the best start to a Portuguese season by a foreign player EVER.

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His £18 million buyout clause makes him a prime target for a January transfer, as right now the fee would appear a bargain for one of Brazil's most talented players. Al Jazeera's Juan Arango doesn't understand why he's yet to make his full debut for the national team:

Talisca has tantalising tools as a player. He displays excellent vision and finishing ability, has great size for the position and his ability to shoot from distance is impressive.

It's far too soon to anoint Talisca as the next great scoring machine, though. For starters, he hardly has a proven track record. Per WhoScored.com, he only scored four times for Bahia, his former club. His scoring form for Benfica also hasn't shown itself in the Champions League yet.

WhoScored doesn't keep track of conversion ratings or shot statistics for the Portuguese league, but his highlight reel from his time in the Brazilian league shows the youngster taking a lot of shots on goal. From just about every angle and any distance:

A lot of those shots are from bad positions, in situations where teammates were better positioned to make a play. It's not enough evidence to suggest Talisca is a volume scorer, but his tendency to shoot on goal as soon as he sees fit isn't indicative of a very efficient scorer.

A fee of £18 million becomes significant if we're talking about a player in the form of his life. The talent and potential is obvious, but plenty of young stars have turned hot streaks into lucrative transfers and contracts, only to fizzle out as quickly as they emerged.

The imminent return of Theo Walcott should result in Mesut Ozil reclaiming his position in the centre of the pitch for the Gunners, who have one of the world's most exciting young talents sitting on the bench in Joel Campbell.

There's no need for another attacking midfielder/forward at the Emirates. That doesn't mean Arsenal shouldn't pounce if they believe Talisca has the potential to develop into a special player—they just have to make sure his great start to the 2014-15 season isn't a fluke.

The January window is still almost two months from opening, and with Champions League fixtures on the schedule, Arsenal scouts will have plenty of opportunities to determine whether Talisca is the real deal. But for now, patience is in order.

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