Arsenal were not seriously considering a deadline day pursuit to sign Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz before Mikel Arteta lost Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny due to injuries.
Arsenal did not seriously consider Douglas Luiz deal before Partey, Elneny blows
According to Goal, Douglas Luiz was not under serious consideration at Arsenal before the Gunners’ first and second-choice holding midfielders Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny sustained injuries, forcing boss Mikel Arteta to target a last-ditch transfer with Aston Villa.
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Arsenal made multiple attempts to agree to terms for the Brazilian to head to the Emirates Stadium before Thursday night’s deadline. But Aston Villa refused to negotiate any deal for the 24-year-old, despite him being in the last year of his contract at the Birmingham outfit.
Gunners technical director Edu submitted a final offer of £25m with just 90 minutes left of deadline day. Yet once the Villa Park hierarchy informed the north Londoners that the bid was insufficient, Arsenal pulled the plug on their pursuit and left Arteta without a transfer.
Arsenal refused to pay in excess of £25m for a player who is out of contract next June and was not a serious target before losing Partey and Elneny to injuries. Gunners staff also feel Partey will return in a matter of weeks, and not months, which will aid their lack of depth.
Granit Xhaka and Albert Sambi Lokonga likely to face Manchester United now
Partey has missed Arsenal’s last two Premier League games against Fulham and Aston Villa with a thigh injury. Elneny had taken over his holding position at home to the Cottagers on Saturday, but missed the Villans’ visit to the capital on Wednesday with a significant issue.
Their absences and a failure to sign Luiz will likely see Arsenal visit Manchester United this Sunday with a double-pivot of Granit Xhaka and Albert Sambi Lokonga, having faced Aston Villa together. Luiz came off the bench to score direct from his corner-kick at the Emirates.
Steven Gerrard only introduced Luiz in the second-half, having rarely trusted the nine-cap Brazil international Philippe Coutinho calls ‘excellent’ so far this season. Luiz has started in just one of Aston Villa’s five Premier League games so far, along with three as a substitute.
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