‘Extraordinary’: £66m star hailed after Edu missed out on bringing him to Arsenal

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Arsenal were chasing a deal for Juventus midfielder Arthur Melo in January but couldn’t get it done – and Massimiliano Allegri has praised him.

The Gunners spent large parts of January trying to get a midfielder on board to bolster Mikel Arteta’s numbers.

Mohamed Elneny and Thomas Partey were at the Africa Cup of Nations whilst Albert Sambi Lokonga may not be ready for a key Premier League role yet.

Despite loaning Ainsley Maitland-Niles to Roma, Arsenal didn’t bring in a new midfielder even if Edu pulled out all the stops for Arthur.

Edu welcomed Arthur’s agent Federico Pastorello to London Colney for talks over a loan move from Arsenal to Juventus.

It was suggested that Arthur wanted an 18-month deal instead of just staying until the end of the season, with Juventus seeking a permanent clause and a replacement.

Denis Zakaria did join Juve, but he ended up replacing Rodrigo Bentancur. Once Bentancur was sold to Tottenham, there was no chance of Arthur joining Arsenal.

Arthur is now hoping for a bigger role at Juventus in the second half of the season having so far struggled for playing time under Allegri.

Arthur was only managed five league starts this season and just one in the Champions League, playing a bit-part role.

A £66million signing from Barcelona in 2020, Arthur was supposed to be the next great metronomic midfielder but has really failed to kick on.

Arthur seemingly has a big fan in Edu, and Arsenal may keep tabs on his situation between now and the end of the season.

Allegri has commented on Arthur’s situation, as quoted by The Mirror, praising him for a fine display against Verona 2-0 on Sunday.

Allegri suggested that Arthur is showing ‘extraordinary’ technical ability and is improving for Juventus, with Arsenal’s lingering hopes potentially dwindling.

“Arthur is improving, he played very well on Sunday,” said Allegri. “He’s like a child, always running behind the ball. Sometimes he has to handle himself a little bit more, but he put in a great performance against Hellas Verona. He has extraordinary technical abilities,” he added.