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Report: Arsenal set to miss out on Brazilian defender Vinicius Tobias as Real Madrid swoop
Arsenal look set to miss out on signing Shakhtar Donetsk right-back Vinicius Tobias as Real Madrid have swooped to lead the race, according to 90min.
The 18-year-old has decided to take advantage of FIFA and UEFA’s ruling for Ukrainian league players to leave due to the war with Russia currently being fought on their soil.
He only joined the club in January from Brazilian side Internacional but he seems almost certain to head for Madrid where he will initially sign on loan for the B team before making his move permanent in the summer.
The Gunners, and Manchester City who were also chasing the teenager, have been hampered by the Premier League insisting that they would not sanction any transfers for players from either Russian or Ukrainian clubs after the exceptional circumstances UEFA and FIFA put on them due to the war.
Years before we know
Truthfully, none of us knows exactly how good Tobias is right now nor how good he will become in the future so this really isn’t the biggest nightmare Mikel Arteta could face at the moment.
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If he goes on to be one of the best full-backs in world football in five years’ time then maybe we can start to be a little upset that he didn’t come to The Emirates but it isn’t worth getting in a fuss over.
The chances are he wouldn’t have displaced Takehiro Tomiyasu as the club’s starting right-back nor even Cedric Soares as the backup from the off.
Maybe he could have played a role in some cup games against lower league opposition or become the second string if Soares moved on but it’s all irrelevant now he looks set to head for sunny Spain instead.
In other Arsenal news, Joleon Lescott thinks Bukayo Saka could be a future Gunners captain if he stays at the club.