Mikel Arteta has conceded that Arsenal were beaten by the clock as he opened up on the club's failed attempts to strike a deal with Aston Villa for Douglas Luiz on deadline day.
The Gunners had seemingly wrapped up their transfer business well in advance of deadline day after splashing out on big-money deals for the likes of Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Fabio Vieira, but recent injuries to Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny have left Arsenal light in midfield.
As a result, Arsenal tried to entice Aston Villa into doing a deal for Luiz, who has less than a year to run on his current deal and is set to become a free agent next summer.
