Over few months or so, we’ve seen a couple of articles suggesting that Villarreal star Yéremy Pino is being tracked by the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool, with the Gunners reportedly interested because Mikel Arteta is a huge fan and specifically asked for him.
As for the Reds, there is a debate to be had as to whether he was an alternative to Luis Diaz at the time, but they have been linked since the Colombian’s transfer too, perhaps as Jürgen Klopp prepares to lose one or both of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané in the near future.
Either way, the Arsenal and Liverpool target is in fine form for the Spanish side, and, ahead of his club’s clash against Juventus in the Champions League, sat down with Gazzetta dello Sport to discuss many things, including his love for Cristiano Ronaldo, currently contracted to Manchester United.
The forward returned to Old Trafford in the summer in a transfer that took many by surprise, and while he hasn’t quite hit the heights many know he is capable of, he has still shown why he remains one of the best in the world at what he does, most recently scoring a hat-trick for the Red Devils in a 3-2 win over Tottenham.
He said: “He won me over with his mentality and sacrifice. A player who might not be a pure talent, but who, based on work, perseverance and effort, gets to where he wants to. And then he comes from Madeira, an island like Gran Canaria, and looking at him, I also recognised myself in emigration, suffering, difficulties.
“For me, he was a point of reference for everything. Today, the thing that strikes me most about him is his intact ambition: he is 37 and continues to fight and work harder than anyone to keep winning. An example, I know that there are people who say that he affects the way a team plays. I reply that he is still one of the few able to carry that team on his shoulders and win a game alone.”
We’ll have to see if anyone comes forward for the 19-year-old, who has seven goals and four assists in 34 appearances, but if Arsenal and Liverpool do really want him, they will likely have to pay the €80m of his current release clause, and overlook the fact he loves a Manchester United star in the process.
