Arsenal scout says he made over 50 reports on one player but Mikel Arteta still didn’t sign him

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Arsenal have a phenomenal scouting network and are always looking at players who can improve them.

The Gunners have pulled off amazing signings thanks to their scouts over the years. Gabriel Martinelli cost just £6 million and became a star, while Cristhian Mosquera has been the find of the season so far.

Scouts work all year round trying to identify excellent players, but not everyone gets approved by Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta.

Thiago Almada is one of them.

Arsenal scout made over 50 reports on Thiago Almada

Jonathan Vidalle is responsible for Arsenal’s scouting in South America.

There are a lot of incredible young players in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and other countries in the continent, and every big club in Europe has people on the ground there.

Vidalle, who joined Arsenal as a scout in 2014, has done a great job over the last decade, and he continues to make recommendations to the club.

One player he did a lot of work on was Almada, but despite all the reports he documented, the Gunners decided against signing him.

In an interview on ADN Radio, when asked if there’s a player who really caught his eye but was rejected by Arsenal, he said: “Thiago Almada!

“I’ve always insisted on him, I’ve always liked him, but he has a physical weakness, especially for the Premier League. I’ve done 56 reports on him because I’ve known him since he played in the eighth division, that is, in the U15s.

“Sometimes it’s a little frustrating when a player you scout ends up playing for another club, succeeding, and well, those are the rules of the game.

“Maybe it would have worked out. The Premier League is difficult because it’s very physical.”

Who is Thiago Almada and will Arsenal regret missing out on him?

Almada is a 24-year-old winger who currently plays for Atletico Madrid.

A product of the Velez Sarsfield academy in Argentina, the attacker earned a move to the United States to play for Atlanta United. He returned to South America to join Botafogo and then spent a loan spell at Lyon in France.

Almada joined Atletico Madrid earlier this summer, but he’s yet to prove his worth there.

Even during his time at Lyon and Botafogo, Almada failed to set the stage on fire and didn’t even score 10 goals for the two clubs despite playing over 50 games.

Vidalle has clearly seen something in the Argentine, but as things stand, Arsenal will not look back at Almada with any regrets.

However, the Gunners’ next Champions League game is against Atletico Madrid. Almada, should he return to full fitness, could get a chance to show Arteta what he missed out on.