Juventus midfielder Arthur Melo showed potential suitors like Newcastle United what he could offer after dominating against Malmo in the Champions League.
Italian newspaper La Repubblica has claimed that the Brazilian midfielder could leave the Italian giants in the January transfer window.
The former Barcelona man is reportedly unhappy with his lack of playing time this season and is considering his options.
However, Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri restored the 25-year-old to his starting line-up in Wednesday’s 1-0 win against Malmo. It resulted in the Serie A side qualifying for the Champions League last-16 as Group H winners following Zenit St Petersburg’s last-gasp equaliser against Chelsea.
Arthur completed the full 90 minutes for the first time this season, and he will be hoping his impressive performance results in just his second Serie A start of the season when the Old Lady travel to Venezia on Saturday.
The man who started his career at Gremio has been an unused substitute in the last five Serie A matches.
How did Arthur perform on his return to the side?
The deep-lying midfielder dominated possession and dictated the tempo of the match. Arthur had an astonishing 128 touches against Malmo. No player on the pitch had more or registered triple figures (WhoScored).
Arthur completed 94% of his attempted 108 passes and completed all six of his attempted long balls. The Brazilian international also registered two key passes – only his teammate Moise Kean made more (3).
Willing to dig in and contribute to the team’s defensive phases of play, Arthur made one tackle, one clearance and two interceptions. No Juventus player made more interceptions than the dynamic midfielder.
Although Arthur isn’t necessarily the type of player that Newcastle urgently need come January, his eye-catching performance in the Champions League was a reminder of the quality he possesses.
Newcastle need a player who can take the sting out of the game and bring an air of calmness to his team mates, by putting his foot on the ball.
Arthur isn’t the type of player to go into hiding; he wants to get on the ball and make things happen for his team.
If Newcastle secure their Premier League status, then names like Arthur Melo could become more of an intriguing option come the summer. And PIF could look to make the Juventus star a key part of the club’s new ambitious project.
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