Arsenal are likely to miss out on Barcelona keeper Neto after Ronald Koeman refused to let him leave which is why the EPL side are reportedly shifting their focus to Freddie Woodman.
Neto’s agent had handed in a transfer request amidst heavy Arsenal interest but the Barcelona boss has made it clear that the club will not let him exit during the middle of the season.
“Young people are one thing and Neto is another,” Koeman said, as reported. “His representative has requested an exit and we have said no. We want to have the team well covered in all positions.”
This will surely be a big blow for Mikel Arteta but it looks like the Gunners are wasting no time as they are now being linked with Newcastle United’s 23-year-old keeper Freddie Woodman.
Can Arsenal get their hands on Freddie Woodman?
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Freddie Woodman has come up through the ranks at Newcastle United but after moving up to the senior side, all he has done is move across the UK on various loan deals.
This season, the keeper is out on loan to Championship side Swansea City and his performances for the Welsh side seem to have impressed the scouts at Arsenal.
During the 2020-21 season, Woodman has played 23 matches so far and has managed to keep an impressive 14 clean sheets.
And given that he’s of no use to Newcastle United, Arsenal should not find it difficult to sign him on a permanent deal.
Apart from Freddie Woodman, the Gunners have also been linked with Brentford’s David Raya and Aston Villa’s No 2 Tom Heaton. And with Neto’s name seemingly out of the wishlist, it will be interesting to see which route does the EPL side take in the next few days.
