“If you put him in the Arsenal team, he’s competing for the Golden Boot” - Joe Cole says Arsenal missed the trick by not signing 25-year-old star

Joe Cole has said Arsenal missed a trick by not signing Bournemouth striker Evanilson last summer. He joined the Cherries from Porto for a reported fee of £40 million in 2024.

Since then, he's gone on to make 28 appearances in the Premier League, bagging 10 goals and five assists. Claiming that he could have competed for the Golden Boot if the Brazilian had been with the Gunners, Cole told The Dressing Room Podcast (via Football365):

"I like him. If you put him in the Arsenal team, I think he’s competing for the Golden Boot."

“At the start of the season, they didn’t go for a striker and it’s almost like they are waiting for the perfect one. Why did you not go out and make a bid on Evanilson?"

He added:

“If Evanilson was at Arsenal, they are a stronger squad straight away. I reckon that adds ten goals and that’s seven or eight points and then the league is much closer and you don’t know what can happen."

“I just think they’ve missed a trick with this kid. I think his movement is fantastic.”

The Gunners have struggled in the number nine position due to injuries. Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus have missed the final portion of this campaign due to fitness issues, which has prompted Mikel Arteta to deploy Mikel Merino in the role.

Surprisingly, the Spain international has done fairly well, bagging eight goals across competitions.

Gary Neville gives Arsenal a chance to comeback against PSG in Champions Legaue semi-final

Manchester United legend Gary Neville believes Arsenal can come from 1-0 down to beat Paris Saint-Germain in the second-leg semi-final of the UEFA Champions League.

However, it will be difficult to achieve this feat at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday night, May 07. Claiming that the fans of the French outfit could get jittery, he told Sky Sports:

"Arsenal have got a chance on Wednesday. It's a completely different game obviously, it goes without saying. But you can go there and cause some shocks."

"I've been there a couple of times and seen Real Madrid win there and I saw Manchester United win there. PSG get very nervous if the wrong things happen for them in that stadium."

The Gunners do not go into this game with the best of form. They lost their latest Premier League match 2-1 to Bournemouth and drew 2-2 with Crystal Palace in this competition before that.

About the author

Rahul has been a European football journalist for Sportskeeda since 2023. A B.B.A. L.L.B. graduate, he captained his university football team and also played for Boca Juniors Football School during his initial years, and also coached his university's girls team. He always aims to translate his tactical awareness, knowledge of the sport and first-hand experience into well-researched articles for his readers.

A follower of the beautiful game since 2014, Rahul is an avid Arsenal and a match-going Bengaluru FC fan. His favorite footballer is Mesut Ozil due to his love for nimble-footed playmakers, while his favorite manager is the legendary Arsene Wenger owing to the Frenchman's attractive style of football.

Rahul, whose favorite FIFA World Cup moment is Lionel Messi lifting the trophy in 2022, has interviewed grassroots expert Tom Byer in the past and gained insight into Japanese football. He also believes Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland can rule the footballing world and take Ronaldo and Messi's place.

When he is not writing, Rahul likes to spend his time playing football, following the Indian Super League and watching other sports. He is also a huge cricket fan and supports Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

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Edited by Rahul Naresh