November 16th 2025.
Former Arsenal midfielder Gilberto Silva believes that Arsenal should consider reigniting their interest in Real Madrid's Rodrygo, who has been struggling to get playing time under new manager Xabi Alonso. The Brazilian international was heavily linked with a transfer away from Real over the summer, but ultimately decided to stay after discussions with Alonso.
The versatile forward was linked with several top clubs, including Arsenal and Chelsea, as well as Manchester City who were considering a move had they sold Savinho to Tottenham. However, despite choosing to remain in Spain, Rodrygo has only started two of Real's first 12 La Liga games this season, leading to renewed speculation about his long-term future with the club. Recent reports suggest that Chelsea are interested in signing the 24-year-old.
Gilberto Silva, who has met Rodrygo a few times, believes that Arsenal should also consider making a move for the talented player, who would still command a high transfer fee of around €80million. "I know him and we've met a couple of times, but I don't know his situation with Arsenal," he said in an interview with talkSPORT. "At the beginning of the season, I thought it would be fantastic to have Rodrygo at the club. It's clear he will not have much of an opportunity to play under Xabi Alonso at Madrid, but he's a great player with real talent, which is a waste if he is on the bench - but obviously there is big competition at Arsenal as well. He's got the ability to perform not only from the left side but in other positions across the forward line as well. Should Arsenal go in for him? Why not. If he's not happy and there is an opportunity to increase the strength of the squad, then we can try and get him."
However, Silva also pointed out that Arsenal's already impressive depth in wide areas might make it difficult for Rodrygo to find a starting place in the team. "The only question is, where would he fit?" he questioned. "Maybe a few years ago, it would have been much easier to find a good player to fit that Arsenal squad. However, nowadays, even if you are a good player, it's not so easy to find a starting place in this current team."
In addition to Rodrygo, Arsenal have also been linked with other talented wingers such as Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke, while also managing to keep hold of Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard despite interest from other clubs. This abundance of options in wide areas could make a move to the Emirates less appealing for Rodrygo.
Speaking about the summer transfer window and the constant speculation surrounding his future, Rodrygo insisted that he never felt the need to leave Real Madrid. "Every summer, the same thing happens to me. Whether I'm going to leave or whether I have offers from this club or that," he said in an interview with Spanish publication AS. "Every week, I was in a team if I paid attention to what was published. Of course, there are always offers; I'm not going to lie about that. But I always made it clear to the club that I want to continue succeeding here, even more than I already have. It's a lot to have won two Champions Leagues at my age, but now I want more European Cups in this shirt."
The 24-year-old also revealed that he has always been focused on staying at Real Madrid, despite the constant speculation surrounding his future. "I've always said: 'As long as Real Madrid wants me, I'll be here.' If one day Real Madrid says to me: 'Rodry, find a team,' I'll say 'OK.' But that hasn't happened. The club has always told me they count on me. And when I had a problem, they were there for me. People speculated because I kept quiet. But I knew what I was going to do this season with Real Madrid and that I'm going to be focused on giving my best. It hasn't bothered me. I was calm, and here I am… as always. This is my seventh season."
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