Mikel Arteta insists that he agrees with Arsenal’s decision to let Lino Sousa join Premier League rivals Aston Villa on the final day of the January transfer window.
Putting pen to paper shortly before the 11pm deadline, the talented young left-back becomes the latest one-time West Brom prospect to return to the Midlands, and the second to arrive on Thursday afternoon.
Lino Sousa joins Morgan Rogers – a £15 million signing from Middlesbrough – in the claret-and-blue of Aston Villa.
And while Arteta admits that the decision to let Sousa go was one driven by the ‘club’, he believes it was the right call given that the 19-year-old would have left the Emirates for free in the summer anyway.
Arsenal sell Lino Sousa to Aston Villa
“It was a club decision,” says the former Manchester City assistant. “And obviously he had a really particular situation with his contract. There’s been a lot of talk about it and the club believe it was the best decision to do that.
“I supported that decision.”
The ‘outstanding’ Sousa, who was born in Portugal but represents England at youth level, continues a recent theme of Aston Villa investing in youth. Rogers, Kosta Nedeljkovic and Joe Gauci – all of whom arrived during the winter window – are aged 23 or under.
Arteta, meanwhile, is keen to point out that there is still a place at Arsenal for budding young talents, even if Sousa did not make a single first-team appearance for The Gunners despite forming part of their FA Youth Cup-winning side in 2023.
Mikel Arteta backs deadline day exit
“We certainly want to do that (give youth a chance),” Arteta adds. “First of all, we need to produce those talents and they have to earn it. And, secondly, they have to be in the positions that we need fulfilling. Everything has to come together and we are working on that.
“We have a few prospects which are not far away, but the reality is we want more. Today, to give the opportunities to play in the first team at the level required, we are a bit short.”
Sousa was stuck behind Oleksandr Zinchenko and Jakub Kiwior at Arsenal. Kieran Tierney too, before he left North London for a spell at Real Sociedad.
The Aston Villa newbie will now spend the remainder of the current campaign on loan at Plymouth Argyle. Villa and Plymouth have a good relationship, Finn Azaz shining on the South Coast before his move to Middlesbrough a few weeks back.
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