Bayer 04 sign Brazil international Arthur

"In addition to impressive pace, Arthur primarily has footballing finesse. He is agile, plays with maturity in defence and is impressive in attack," said Bayer 04 sporting managing director Simon Rolfes. "His signing is a transfer with a long-term perspective and in Arthur we have gained a player capable of developing who we believe can play an important role in the medium term."
 
"I'm very proud to soon be able to play for Bayer 04. The club is well known and popular in Brazil and a lot of my fellow countrymen have become outstanding football players at Leverkusen," declared the Belo Horizonte-born Arthur. "I'm hoping for that too and I will give my all to be successful with the club – in the Bundesliga and also in European competitions."

The 20-year-old made his debut for the Selecao in Brazil's 2-1 defeat at the weekend in a friendly against Morocco who finished fourth at the World Cup. In the game in Tangiers, the 5'9" Arthur was brought on as a substitute in added time for the Tottenham Hotspur player Emerson by the caretaker coach Ramon Menezes who played for the Werkself for a season in 1995/96 as Ramon Hubner. Arthur played under Menezes for the Brazil U20 team in February 2023 that beat Uruguay 2-0 in the final of the South American U20 Championship.