Manchester United star Casemiro has been tipped for a sensational move to Arsenal by Gilberto Silva who describes the midfielder as a player “I would love to have on my team.”
The former Real Madrid man, who swapped the Spanish capital for Manchester in the summer of 2022, enjoyed a stellar debut season in England, dominating the midfield as he helped the Red Devils to a comfortable 3rd place finish and a Carabao Cup victory.
This win constituted United’s first trophy in six seasons with Casemiro winning the Man of the Match award at Wembley after he scored the opening goal in his side’s 2-0 victory over Newcastle.
However, as strong as his first season was, his second season was correspondingly dismal.
The 2023/24 campaign was a disaster for 99% of the season for Erik ten Hag’s squad. Abject early exits from the Carabao Cup and Champions League were matched by dreadful performances in the Premier League, which saw United finish 8th with a negative goal difference.
While injuries were undoubtedly a major factor in this underperformance, the manager and his senior players, including Casemiro, must take responsibility for the consistently woeful showings they produced.
A late resurgence at the end of the season, which saw United win back-to-back league games against Newcastle and Brighton, before the crowning glory of the FA Cup win over bitter rivals Manchester City at Wembley, were crucial in Ten Hag saving his job at Old Trafford. And they offered a template of hope for next season with a fully fit squad playing a more pragmatic style of football.
However, Casemiro was absent from this upturn in performance with an injury and reports suggest there is a mutual acceptance between the player and club that his future will be away from Manchester next season.
There are long-standing links to the Middle East with the Saudi Pro League likely one of the only places willing to offer the Brazilian a comparable financial package to the one he currently enjoys at Old Trafford.
Yet, in what would be an outrageous twist in the tale, former Arsenal midfielder Gilberto Silva has suggested Casemiro should be a target for the London club to potentially replace Thomas Partey.
“Casemiro could be a good fit for Arsenal, let’s wait and see what happens. It would be very interesting if Thomas Partey left the club. If that spot becomes available then it would be interesting to see Casemiro there,” Silva contends. “He would bring a very strong and stable option to their midfield. For me, Casemiro is still a good player. I don’t know whether he’s going to stay or not in the club, but he’s a player I would love to have on my team.”
Arsenal signed Declan Rice for over £100 million last summer but only found a cohesive balance once Mikel Arteta deployed the England international as a box-to-box midfielder, rather than in a holding role. This partner to Rice was often Jorginho, who signed an extension at the Emirates, but also Partey, when the Ghanian was fit.
With Partey likely to leave Arsenal this summer, the Gunners have made a new midfielder a priority; and, if they listen to the words of their former midfield general, they may only need to look to Manchester to fill this slot. The Peoples Person would advise we all take this potential link with an enormous pinch of salt, however.
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