Arsenal’s failed pursuit of Noa Lang certainly proved to be a blessing in disguise for the Gunners. Mikel Arteta’s falling out with Matteo Guendouzi highlighted why the Dutchman would not have been the correct signing for the north London side.
Lang recently admitted in an interview with Dutch news outlet Het Laatste Nieuws that Arsenal tried to sign him in the January transfer window with Italian news outlet Gazzetta Dello Sport claiming him to cost around £25million. The Gunners are currently in desperate need of a forward and a winger due to shortages in both departments.
However, Lang has consistently been criticised for problems concerning his attitude throughout his career. Arteta has talked about the importance of creating a competitive dressing room without negative energy, which Lang could have proved to threaten due to claims about him in the past.
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Former Inter Milan midfielder Radja Nainggolan criticised the attitude of the winger earlier in the season. "But no matter how good he may be, I can’t stand him. Always gesticulating with his hands and protesting.
"Shutting everyone up after he was invisible for five matches… these are things I can’t live with. If he kept his feet on the ground, he’d be twice as good," he said via Het Nieuwsblad.
These quotes from the former Belgian midfielder will certainly be of interest to Arteta, who has ensured to remove any attitude problems away from Arsenal. This was proved with the sale of Matteo Guendouzi, as the Frenchman had been constantly criticised for his questionable attitude which was seen by fans after his antics against Brighton in 2020 following his altercation with Neal Maupay.
Arteta never gave him a Premier League start after this and shipped him out on loan to German side Hertha Berlin as soon as the transfer window opened. The same situation also followed with Mesut Ozil, which is why the club mutually agreed to terminate his contract.
Speaking about a possible move to Arsenal in the January transfer window, Lang told Het Laatste Nieuws : "Because one of them only really left at the last minute [Aubameyang], they wanted to hire someone quickly. But that was no longer possible."
This deal falling at the last hurdle was certainly a blessing in disguise for the Gunners. Speaking on the matter of attitude and team morale, Arteta said: "If you don't have the right culture, in the difficult moments, the tree is going to shake, so my job is to convince everybody that this is how we are going to live, and if you are going to be part of this organisation it has to be in these terms and in this way."
According to Spanish news outlet Superdeporte, Sevilla have also made contact with Arsenal over the signing of Pepe. The report goes on to say that the Gunners are prepared to let him leave. This will lead to Arsenal needing to sign a winger, but Lang shown why he would not be the correct acquisition for Arsenal.
