Arsenal were on the hunt for a midfielder on transfer deadline day, with football.london understanding that a deal for Aston Villa's Douglas Luiz was actively being pursued. But after three rejected bids by Villa, the Gunners were unable to secure a signing.
The need to strengthen in the midfield area was evident at the start of the transfer window. This was made even more clear when injuries suffered to Thomas Partey and Mohammed Elneny during the early weeks of the season had seriously weakened Mikel Arteta’s options in the middle of the park.
Due to Arsenal’s decision not to strengthen the midfield in the final weeks of the summer window, it has now meant that the transfer attention has been switched to January with the hopes that the Gunners will spend then. And on the opening day of the window, Luiz has sent Edu a reminder why the Gunners should look to pursue a deal
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Luiz scored for Aston Villa against Spurs on New Year's Day to give the Villans a two-goal lead. This was a major boost for Arsenal as Tottenham are considered as potential title rivals going into the second half of the season.
Despite signing a contract with Villa, the Football Insider had reported that Luiz told friends he was keen to join the London giants and would still like the deal to happen.
Youri Tielemans seemed to be the Gunners' main transfer option. But, links to the midfielder have since stalled as the Belgian lost form in the opening months of the season.
Thomas Partey has been excellent for Arsenal in the opening months of this season and is a crucial piece of Mikel Arteta’s midfield jigsaw. This has been epitomised by the influence of the 29-year-old when he is included in the starting line-up
Arsenal’s likelihood to win a game increases by a large margin when he is playing compared to when he is absent from kick-off. Since his arrival in 2020, he has been an automatic starter under Arteta.
However, his consistent injury issues permit Arsenal from being able to rely on the midfielder. Albert Sambi Lokonga has had numerous attempts to impress in the absence of Partey, but has consistently shown that he cannot impact the midfield the same way Partey does, hence the links to Luiz in the summer transfer window.
If Luiz continues to perform for Aston Villa, it could be likely that Edu returns with another attempt to sign the Brazilian.
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