"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.
Bayer 04 were beaten 1-0 away at Union Berlin on Matchday 23 in the Bundesliga. Kasper Hjulmand’s side struggled to create clear chances, while the hosts struck the only goal of the game through Rani Khedira in the 28th minute.
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Sandwiched between their UEFA Champions League knockout play-off tie against Olympiacos, Bayer 04 return to Bundesliga action on Saturday with a trip to Union Berlin (kick-off: 15:30 CET). It’s a fixture of contrasting styles, with Leverkusen preferring to control the play while Union look to remain compact and counter. The Berliners are therefore suited to facing top teams, but they have only ever managed to win one of 16 meetings with the Werkself, who are looking for a fifth clean sheet of 2026 but will need to beware the home side’s threat from set pieces. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our matchday news.
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After six wins in seven games, the Werkself will be looking to continue their winning run in the capital at FC Union Berlin. Coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke ahead of the match on Saturday, 21 February (kick-off: 15:30 CET) about defenders, the short preparation time and the condition of the pitch at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei.
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Union Berlin have performed particularly well against the top clubs in the Bundesliga this season with a draw at home to Bayern Munich and wins against VfB Stuttgart and RB Leipzig. This Saturday, 21 February (kick-off: 15:30 CET), the Irons now welcome the Werkself, currently sixth in the table, to the Stadion An der Alten Försterei. And the hosts are in desperate need of a win. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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