La Liga 2015-16 season saw some surprisingly brilliant performers and a player who is on a career high at the moment is Celta Vigo forward Nolito.
Firing goals for fun this season with 5 goals, he has also provided 3 assists so far this season from 7 games, Nolito is currently ranked 3rd among Europe’s top performers behind Riyad Mahrez and Lionel Messi, as par Whoscored.com.
Big clubs are getting linked with the 28-year-old which is quite natural after what he has delivered on the pitch and the two frontrunners for his signature are La Liga holders Barcelona and Arsenal.
But, according to Mirror, the Gunners are now favourites to land the Spanish forward due to strict financial rules on Barcelona.
With Barcelona running tight on finances ,Arsenal have a golden opportunity to land the former Benfica star at Emirates in January.
Nolito is a product of Barcelona’s famous youth academy La Masia, but he was not able to get a first-team place at Camp Nou.
He spent three years at Barcelona but mostly played for the Barcelona ‘B’ team. He played 38 games for the ‘B’ team and only 5 games for the senior team.
But he made himself a much better player at Benfica, Granada and then Celta and established himself as a prolific goalscorer as well as a player who can create goals.
With his ability to play as a center forward, winger and as an attacking midfielder, big clubs would have knocked at his doors sooner or later and that is happening now.
But Arsenal have a chance to get their target without any major competition as Barcelona are imposed UEFA Financial Fair Play regulations and it is impossible for them to meet Nolito’s €18million (£13m) release clause.
A statute in the club’s constitution, ratified by the current administration, means that the Barcelona board would have to step down should their EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Deprectiation and Amortization) multiplied by two exceed their debt.
Their wage bill must also not exceed a certain percentage of the club’s turnover, which means that their current €419million annual salary outlay can not go above €421million without sales.
But Barcelona still have a chance to get their man if they can get good money for their two Brazilian fullbacks Adriano and Douglas in January who are expected to showed way out from the Catalan giants.
The Gunners were first alerted to the forward’s talent by Iberian scout Francis Cagigao while he was with Benfica, but it is at Celta – where he was last season coached by current Barca boss Luis Enrique – that he has exploded.
Scout Cagigao, who himself is a subject of interest from both Barcelona and Real Madrid, is ordered to get the Spanish forward anyhow in January to boost Arsenal’s attack in order to mount a title challenge.
Nolito is just behind Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema in the top scorers’ chart and also leading the assist chart as well as creating the most chances in La Liga this season.
It will be a huge deal for Arsenal to get him in January.