Arsenal is tipped to sign Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting Lisbon – but they have not had good success with players from the Primeira League.
The Sweden International would be a potential game changer for the Gunners of Mikel Arteta, given his exceptional record of 97 goals in 102 performances in the past two seasons with Sporting. But he would break something of a hex if he proves a success in North Londen.
We looked at the previous five and how they did it to Arsenal. Note: We have not included no graduates from Academy who have not done first team performances.
After helping Sweden to third place at the 1994 World Cup, Schwarz decided to leave Benfica and entered Arsenal in a £ 1.8 million deal.
The midfielder was initially invoiced as a playmaker who could fill the void that was left behind by David Rocastle, but instead he became the water carrier under George Graham.
His arrival also coincided with a transition period for the Gunners and they had a disastrous season in the Premier League and finished in 12th place.
Schwarz was still a crucial figure in Arsenal's Run to the European Cup winners' Cup final of 1995 and scored a late equalizer against Sampdoria in the semi-final.
But their 2-1 defeat against Real Zaragoza in the final turned out to be his 45th and last appearance for the club. After Graham was replaced by Bruce Rioch, Arsenal David Platt signed and Schwarz was allowed to join Fiorentina in a £ 2.5 MLLion movement.
“I can't say that George Graham did something wrong at Arsenal because he won so much, but it was a very direct way of playing – more than I was used to,” he told Fourfourtwo in 2021.
“I wanted to be used in a more offensive sense. If the style had been something else, I might have had an even greater impact.”
He later returned to England with Sunderland, who was on a clause in his contract, preventing him from going into space. And no, we don't come up with this.
One of the first signing sessions by Arsene Wener at Arsenal, Boa Morte came through the Academy in Boyhood Club Sporting Lisbon before moving to North London in 1997.
He scored two goals in 21 performances in his debut season when Arsenal won the Premier League and FA Cup Double in 1997-98.
But the former wing player of Portugal never settled as a regularly for the first team and was sold to Southampton for only £ 500,000 in 1999.
Arsenal poached Boa Morte from Sporting's Academy in 1997 and returned to the Portuguese club in 2006 and drew a 16-year-old fountain.
The winger showed a lot of promise in the youth teams and made his senior debut in 2008 and came out of the couch in a League Cup victory in Wigan.
That turned out to be his only performance for the Gunners and he decided to return to sporting after the end of his contract in 2009.
“I was 16 and stayed there until I was 19 – it was good, but it was difficult because I was too young,” Fonte said in 2017.
“If you are so young, if you are not mentally strong enough, it will be really difficult when the difficult times come, but now I am 27, it was a long time ago that it was good for my career to become mentally strong.”
Signed with Benfica in a £ 7.2 million deal in the summer of 2021, Tavares was brought in to act as cover for Kieran Tierney on the left.
The international under-21 of Portugal made 28 games in all competitions in his debut season and scored his first goal for Arsenal in a 3-1 victory over Manchester United.
But he often looked defensive and even suffered the shame of being replaced before the rest after an error -defended display against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup.
“During your career you have to go through very difficult moments,” said Mikel Arteta after Tavares was later immersed against Crystal Palace during the break.
“He had a number of really good periods when he arrived at the club and played much more than he probably expected.
“This is the development of every young player. You go through ups and downs and we are here to help him improve his career. He is ready and he is prepared. He will be disappointed, but that is part of the work.”
Tavares was then lent to Marseille, Nottingham Forest and most recently Lazio, where he rebuilt his reputation and earned a permanent step to the Olimpico stadio.
Vieira has been brought in as a highly valued young person with an excellent assist record of his relatively limited experience in Porto, has difficulty starting in the three years since he signed for the Gunners.
The Portuguese playmaker did not succeed in nailing a place in the first team, has never had much impact in his intermittent cameies and never seemed to convince Arteta.
After a fairly non-describing loan back to his boy's club last season, it is still to be seen what the future has in store for Vieira. It would surprise you if he factors in the plans of his parent club for 2025-26.