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.
Liverpool had signed Brazilian midfielder Arthur Melo in the same transfer window which led to a lot of resentment by Arsenal fans as Edu did not attempt to hijack a deal. However, the midfielder’s injury problems highlight that it was a blessing in disguise that Edu did not attempt to make a move.
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The Athletic’s James Pearce reported that Arthur had undergone surgery over the weekend. This rules the Brazilian out until after the World Cup in 2023, despite not making a single Premier League appearance since joining the club in the summer.
His injury woes were reported weeks after Malaga-based journalist, Manu Heredia claimed that Klopp was already fed up with Arthur and does not believe he is at the level required. He went on to report that Liverpool were already looking for a way to cut the loan contract short in January. Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has denied these claims but Arthur is still yet to start a match for Liverpool since joining the club on deadline day.
According to Italian news outlet Tuttomercatoweb, the north London side remained interested in signing Arthur from Juventus at the back end of last season. A deal was close to completion in January but it never managed to materialise after negotiations began late in the window.
Arsenal were interested in signing Arthur on loan from Juventus in January, and it even got to the point where the players’ agent Federico Pastorello had travelled to the English capital to outline his client's desire to join the Gunners, according to Gazzetta dello Sport. However, a deal was difficult to complete as Juventus needed to find a replacement for the Brazilian, and when this was completed, they demanded an 18-month loan deal to sell Arthur.
Not only does Edu’s decision against signing Arthur become justifiable due to his injury, but the rise of Granit Xhaka this season is also another factor. Xhaka has proved how much of a pivot asset he is to Arsenal in recent weeks with excellent performances, which was topped off in his display earlier this month against Tottenham, where his excellent second-half strike secured all three points for the Gunners.
He has been utilised in a no. 8 role which he hasn’t played in since joining the club in 2016. If Arsenal had signed another midfielder before the end of the summer transfer window, this may not have been the case.
Edu was right in his decision not to sign Arthur from Juventus. Patience can be key in the transfer window and with Edu opting against panic-buying it prevented signing a player who has struggled to adapt in the Premier League and it has allowed the emergence of Xhaka.
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