Arsenal reportedly missed out on two signings in January.
According to The Mirror, Arsenal wanted to sign Dani Olmo in January – but couldn’t strike a deal because Mesut Ozil didn’t leave the club.
It’s claimed that Mikel Arteta would have been willing to let Ozil leave the club in January, and the playmaker did actually receive an offer from the Middle East on deadline day.
However, Arteta didn’t have enough time to replace the German, and two of his top targets had already moved on, meaning no deal was struck for Ozil to go.
One of those targets was Olmo, who completed a bargain £17million move from Dinamo Zagreb to RB Leipzig in January after racking up eight goals and seven assists this season.
The Spanish midfielder is only 21, and has already shown his quality in the Champions League and the Under-21 European Championships, meaning Leipzig look to have a real talent on their hands.
Arteta likely knows plenty about Olmo from Spanish football, and may have felt that he would be an ideal replacement for Ozil in that number 10 role at Arsenal, but they have had to sit and watch Olmo head to Germany instead.
Yannick Ferreira Carrasco was allegedly another target, before he left Dalian Yifang to rejoin Atletico Madrid. The Belgian is more of a winger than a playmaker, so it’s a surprise to see Arteta seemingly view him as a potential playmaking option.
Ozil’s long-term future at Arsenal looks sketchy to say the least, with Arteta possibly having a list of targets to replace him. Two of them have moved on, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Arsenal move for a new attacking midfielder in the summer.
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