In order to maintain a sustained challenge on all fronts this season, Mikel Arteta was desperate to bring in extra players in the transfer window this summer. Although five new signings were added to the squad there was still a serious effort to make moves deep into the window.
It saw late deadline day bids for Douglas Luiz turned down and exposed a weakness in the squad that could come back to prove costly for Arteta. His side have started the season strongly but fell foul to a ruthless counter-attacking display at Old Trafford, losing their first match of the season 3-1 to Manchester United.
Despite the loss, there remains a positive feeling at the Emirates but that could be strongly tested in the coming weeks as additional competitions start and the extent of the recent injury issues becomes clear. The Gunners have already had to do with Fabio Vieira coming into the squad late due to injury and Kieran Tierney's Arsenal career has been stop-start.
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With the expectation and pressures of a good start have come more injuries for Arteta to navigate though, and with a gruelling Thursday-Sunday schedule awaiting him as the Europa League starts up, the movements made by the club on deadline day become clearer.
As reported by Spanish outlet El Nacional, Edu had highlighted Barcelona winger Ferran Torres as a player they wanted to add to the current squad, filling in for the gap left by Nicholas Pepe after he joined Nice on loan. Although the Ivorian wasn't part of Arteta's plans for the current campaign, his departure does leave the club short of attacking options.
Currently, with Emile Smith Rowe suffering a set-back of his own, there are only three natural wingers that Arteta has at his disposal, with Reiss Nelson not looking like a viable option currently. Smith Rowe, Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah could all play wide but prefer central positions, further showing why Arteta made his move for a new winger.
The Spaniard they were looking at only left Manchester City in January and the 22-year-old had a good start to his life in Catalonia, scoring four times and assisting four times in his 18 league matches. The £26m bid which is reported as being Arsenal's late offer is well below the £49.5m that Barcelona paid for his services less than nine months earlier.
Although the Spanish side are in need of bringing in new funds, and El Nacional report that the club were open to the original offer, Xavi still sees him as a key part of his side despite the attacking additions of Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski this summer as well.
Having pursued Yeremy Pino, Moussa Diaby and Cody Gakpo throughout the summer, the insistence on making a purchase in this area of the field is clear, but with none completed and worsening injuries mounting on top of an already tough schedule ahead, Arteta now has a big point to prove in steering his side through a tricky period
It's not something he will use a reason for a drop off though. He said: “I’m not going to put any excuses because these are the players that we have, and for me they’re the best players.
“We try to do that and give them confidence and belief, and with those players we play here the way that we played, so that’s it and that’s not going to change.”
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