Over the past week, gossip columns have been dominated by suggestions that Arsenal are considering signing Sporting Lisbon wonderkid Joelson Fernandes.
The 17-year-old has only made a handful of first-team appearances for his boyhood side but is already said to be attracting interest from some of European football’s biggest clubs.
There are conflicting reports of just how much Arsenal have been willing to offer for the rising star, with the club said to have bid £13.6m, a fraction of his reported £41m release clause.
But there are also suggestions that the Gunners are considering triggering the full release clause for Joelson, which would likely make up a massive proportion of the club’s transfer budget this summer – especially with no Champions League revenue incoming.
Doing so would be a bold and potentially risky manoeuvre given the gaps elsewhere in Mikel Arteta’s first-team squad at the Emirates and his tender age.
But the Kia Joorabchian-represented Portugal Under-17 international has featured in every match since lockdown for the Liga NOS club, giving scouts a better idea of his potential and exactly what he’d offer.
Here’s an in-depth look at the player, his strengths and weaknesses, how he’d fit in at Arsenal and exactly what he’d offer as Arteta looks to build a squad in his image.
Position
Sporting manager Emanuel Ferro has utiliised Joelson as a left-sided wing-back in his fledgling senior appearances, offering width and incision out wide in a 3-4-3 system.
This could suit Arteta’s needs given his tendency to adopt a back three, doing so with notable success in the back-to-back wins over Liverpool and Manchester City, with Bukayo Saka and Ainsley Maitland-Niles fulfilling that role.
But from the evidence at youth level, Joelson is more of a wide forward or winger than a wing-back.
Were he to come to Arsenal, he could play either as a traditional winger or on the left of a front three, allowing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to revert to an out-and-out centre-forward role.
Playing style and strengths
Joelson’s dribbling ability is the first thing that catches the eye.
He’s incredibly confident, is willing to run at defenders, is blessed with excellent technique and close control, and possesses a turn of pace that asks questions of the opposition.
Brought on for the final half-hour as Sporting pushed to break the deadlock in a goalless draw with Vitoria Setubal, while he couldn’t quite force the breakthrough, in his short cameo he successfully completed all three of the dribbles he attempted.
He averages a remarkable 9.36 dribbles attempted per 90 this season, with a success rate of 54.5%, although the sample size is very small.
The vast majority of his appearances have come for Sporting’s Under-23s and Portugal’s Under-17s, but if he could continue at that rate at senior level - with early flashes suggesting he just might - he’d be one of the most prolific dribblers in Europe.
In Europe’s top five leagues this season, Barcelona’s Lionel Messi has been the top dribbler with an average of 5.5 successful dribbles per 90 minutes.
At youth level, Joelson has hit an average of about 5.1 successful dribbles per 90 - which would put him about par with the Premier League’s best, Adama Traore at Wolves.
He’s yet to score or assist at senior level but averages 0.19 per 90 minutes for both goals and assists this term in the youth ranks for club and country. Data comes via WyScout.
Weaknesses
Given the precocious numbers and the environment in which he’s developed, it’s no surprise the media have drawn comparisons to Sporting alumni Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani.
But while there’s certainly no shortage of raw potential from his highlights reel in Sporting’s academy, the issue is his lack of first-team experience, with just four substitute appearances amounting to 64 minutes so far.
Opportunities are gradually coming now for Joelson and it may well be best for his development if he continues at his boyhood club for the foreseeable future rather than be thrust into a new environment with all the demands and expectations a multi-million-pound fee inevitably invites.
But if Arsenal don't act now, there’s a danger of missing out on a future superstar, as they reportedly did with Ronaldo back in 2003.
