Arsenal should look at Otavio if target Hector Herrera joins Roma

By Tom Procter

Arsenal should consider moving for Hector Herrera’s FC Porto teammate Otavio, if the former joins AS Roma in January.

via The Daily Express, Herrera has been eyed by Unai Emery as a potential replacement for Aaron Ramsey, who is set to leave the club for nothing at the end of the season.

The Mexico international has been with Porto since 2013 and has made 216 appearances for the club. He caught the eye at last summer’s World Cup in Russia.

(Photo by Paulo Oliveira / DPI / NurPhoto via Getty Images)

TuttoMercatoWeb claim Roma are the frontrunners to sign Herrera, meaning Arsenal may end up having to look at alternatives.

Miguel Almiron has also been mentioned, but Newcastle United appear to be his most likely destination.

So perhaps Arsenal ought to monitor Herrera’s impressive Porto teammate, Otavio.

Who is Otavio?

Otavio is a Brazilian attacker who is capable of operating both out wide and through the middle.

He prefers to play as a number 10 which means he would be able to replace Ramsey directly.

There’s been some fanfare over Herrera, but actually Otavio has outperformed him statistically this term having scored five and notched seven assists in 21 appearances.

The Brazilian would bring electric speed and dribbling to the Arsenal team. At 5ft 7in he is significantly shorter than Ramsey, but poses a different kind of threat.

(Photo by TF-Images/TF-Images via Getty Images)

If Herrera is to join Roma and Almiron is to sign for Newcastle, then Otavio would be a good alternative – he would also likely come in at a fraction of the cost of the other two.

He is currently sidelined with a thigh injury, but he has certainly made waves in Liga NOS.