Arsenal Transfer News: Ruben Neves Comments on Gunners, Liverpool Rumours

Prodigious midfielder Ruben Neves has revealed he does not want to leave current employers Porto, despite reported interest from the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea.

The 18-year-old has been in tremendous recent form, nailing down a spot at the heart of the Porto team and dictating games with his array of qualities. Speculation has raged about a move as a result, but Neves told the club’s official magazine he’s hopeful of becoming a legend at the Estadio do Dragao.

“To hear the president say that he wants to make me a symbol of the club? It's fantastic,” said the teenager, per Liam Corless of the Daily Mirror. “This made me feel very proud. I am under contract until June 2019 and, at the moment, I am only thinking about the club achieving its goals.”

Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images

As reported by Corless, Porto president Pinto da Costa has previously told O Jogo that he wants Neves to emulate the likes of Joao Pinto, and he never wants him to leave. Also noted in the piece are the links to English football’s juggernauts, with the aforementioned trio of teams said to be keeping an eye on the youngster’s development.

For Arsenal, Neves would potentially be an exceptional acquisition. Here’s a closer examination of his form in what’s been an exciting breakthrough campaign:

The Gunners’ lack of depth at the base of their midfield is well documented, and the fact manager Arsene Wenger has not addressed the problem for so long is bordering on naivety.

Indeed, with Francis Coquelin injured, Arsenal are without a dynamic, defensively-minded presence in their team, which will inevitably expose what remains a fragile defence.

Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images

Neves would be an ideal solution, despite his tender years. While different in style to Coquelin, he’s a player who seeks to control matches from a deeper position, whether snuffing out opposition attacks with astute reading of the game or managing the pace of contests with elegant utilisation of the ball.

As Portuguese football expert Jan Hagen noted recently, the midfielder seems poised to win the prestigious Golden Boy award this year, which is a measure of how impressive he has been:

At times this season, he’s played a little more advanced for Porto, but his long-term position is likely to be as an orthodox holder.

Indeed, if Arsenal were to get him on board, they could potentially form a mean double-pivot midfield with Neves alongside Coquelin, giving the Gunners a steely base in which they can establish strong footholds in games.

Neves is a player whose mature performances are at odds with his tender years, as is his admirable demeanour on the field. As noted by Portuguese football journalist Tom Kundert, not only is Neves the Porto skipper, but he’s starting to make his mark in the national team, too:

The fact there is an adult head on Neves’ young shoulders suggests he will resist the advances of any of European football’s top clubs in the months to come. He’ll be acutely aware of how much he is developing in Julen Lopetegui’s side and that making such a massive move so early in his career could hinder any progress.

Paulo Duarte/Associated Press

Porto do have a reputation as a selling club, but it seems as though they’re intent to keep one of their own. Coupled with the fact the club typically commands very big money for their players, it seems unlikely Neves will be on his way to the Emirates Stadium, or anywhere else in the Premier League, for a while yet.