Arsenal endured a frustrating transfer deadline day on Thursday after three bids were rejected by Aston Villa for Douglas Luiz. The Gunners tested the Birmingham-based club’s resolve following the need to strengthen the midfield after injuries to Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny.
Arsenal were ultimately unsuccessful in their hunt for the Brazilian due to Aston Villa’s resolve to hold onto him. Despite Steven Gerrard seemingly giving Arsenal hope of securing a move by not assuring that the midfielder would stay, his club have backed his desire to keep the 24-year-old.
Edu changed his plans for the end of the window in the wake of the injuries to Elneny, football.london understands. Despite links to both wide players and other midfielders, the reality was there was little expectation within the club that any deal would be done prior to the injury twist.
READ MORE: Edu inadvertently has admitted Arsenal’s summer transfer failure amid Douglas Luiz rejection
Once the club became aware the Egyptian would be missing for a considerable amount of time though, they decided to move for Luiz. The Aston Villa man has been someone, football.london understands, the club have followed for some time and would not have been a panic buy.
Mikel Arteta has made it clear that he both wanted more signings to react to the losses of the likes of Elneny and Partey, but furthermore that after the Bournemouth victory the club needed more ‘firepower’. This, therefore, creates some puzzlement in the club leaving this business so late in the window.
He said: “It hasn’t changed but we know where we are short and where we have to add more firepower. If we can do it, we will do it.”
Therefore, should fingers begin to point as questions are asked about why the club failed to fulfil their manager’s desires, they will lay firmly at technical director Edu and the ownership. The recruitment team had received praise for their early work with Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Fabio Vieira.
However, the lack of movement to cover the areas of need has seen that positivity evaporate even despite the club’s perfect start to the Premier League season. Until at least the January window, fans will need to keep their fingers crossed that these transfer failures do not come back to bite the club.
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