Arsenal told Rodrygo could be the new Sylvain Wiltord as Mikel Arteta is urged to swoop for ‘underrated’ Real Madrid star who is being ‘overshadowed’ by Kylian Mbappe & Vinicius Junior

The Brazilian appears to be slowly falling out of favour at Real Madrid after the summer arrival of Kylian Mbappe. Only seven of his 12 appearances have come as a starter so far this season, but he has still managed to score three goals and lay on two assists.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Now, former France international Petit, who spent three years with the Gunners, has urged manager Arteta to go after the Los Blancos winger. Petit believes that Rodrygo is being “overshadowed” by Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. at Santiago Bernabeu and says that the Brazil star could be a perfect fit in the current Arsenal setup, having identified similarities between him and club legend Sylvain Wiltord.

  WHAT EMMANUEL PETIT SAID

  Speaking to Genting Casino, the 54-year-old said: “He has so much quality and I have always said he will be such a great player for them. If they cannot sign Williams, Arsenal need to sign Rodrygo from Real Madrid as he’s so underrated and gets overshadowed by Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. He reminds me a bit of Sylvain Wiltord when I was at Arsenal. I really think he would be a star at the Emirates and be an amazing player who can play across all three positions across the front line.

  “I know he was asked about Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. the other day and he responded: ‘I am Rodrygo, look at what I did last season?’ This guy is so underrated and perhaps he feels like he is being overshadowed at Real Madrid. In any case, he could be an absolute superstar for Arsenal and I rate him very much. He scores goals, gives assists and gives great energy on the pitch.”

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  WHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?

  After a disappointing loss to Bournemouth last Saturday, the North London club next face Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Tuesday, before meeting Liverpool in a huge Premier League clash on Sunday.