On deadline day, Arsenal signed Neto from AFC Bournemouth goalkeeper on a loan deal, after Aaron Ramsdale completed a permanent move to Southampton.
The 35-year-old will provide cover to David Raya, who is currently the first-choice stopper for Mikel Arteta.
Prior to Neto’s arrival at the Emirates, Arsenal were credited with an interest in Espanyol star Joan García. The Gunners reportedly made a €20m, but the La Liga side referred to his €30m clause.
Apart from the Spaniard and Neto, Arsenal also looked at the option of signing Wojciech Szczęsny. This has been revealed by the Pole himself during an interview with Meczyki.pl.
Szczęsny initially joined Arsenal’s academy in 2006, before he was promoted to their senior team in 2009. He spent eight years with the north London club’s first team before leaving for Juventus in 2017.
On August 14th, the 34-year-old terminated his contract with the Serie A side. Earlier this week, he announced his decision to retire from professional football.
Szczęsny has now confirmed that he held talks with the Premier League side even before terminating his contract at Juve.
“I gave 18 years of my life to football, every day, without excuses. Today my body still feels ready for the challenge, but my heart doesn’t. I feel that now is the time to devote my full attention to my family – my wonderful wife Marina and our two beautiful children Liam and Noelia,” he said.
“Sentiment kicked in and I was open to talks with Arsenal out of respect for the club. But when I started it, I knew it wasn’t for me. It was all about logistics. Something very important would have to happen for this move to take place.”
“Arsenal’s option surfaced even before the contract with Juventus was terminated. I said: ‘Ok, we can talk’. Two days later, however, I decided it didn’t make much sense.”
