Micah Richards believes Mikel Arteta was one deal away from a ‘perfect’ January transfer window after Arsenal failed to sign Dusan Vlahovic to replace Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Writing in his column for the Daily Mail, Richards has praised Arteta for his courage to axe Aubameyang this season. The Gunners boss stripped the Gabonese of the club’s captaincy in December following his latest disciplinary breach, before then letting him leave for free.
Some had called for Arteta to recall Aubameyang whilst he froze the striker out of his plans in north London. He left the 32-year-old out of six Premier League squads and the Carabao Cup semi-final meetings with Liverpool. The Gunners then paid Aubameyang off to leave.
According to The Times, Arsenal paid Aubameyang £7m to tear up the final 18 months of a £350k-a-week contract. He then joined Barcelona for free and has recaptured the form not seen at the Emirates Stadium since 2019/20, striking seven goals in seven La Liga games.
Aubameyang had only scored 14 in his last 33 Premier League appearances following back-to-back 22-goal campaigns in ‘18/19 and ‘19/20. Yet he is a man reborn in Spain, with two of his Barcelona strikes also coming at runaway La Liga leaders Real Madrid in El Clasico.
Arsenal, meanwhile, strived to sign Vlahovic from Fiorentina in January, but Arteta missed out to Juventus. The Bianconeri will pay €70m (£59m) over three years, plus €10m (£8.5m) in add-ons. The Daily Mail also noted Arsenal felt he strung them along in a frantic pursuit.
Vlahovic to Arsenal would have been ‘perfect’ for Arteta, claims Richards
Vlahovic has shown Arsenal why Arteta wanted him to replace Aubameyang with his early Juventus performances. The 22-year-old had scored 17 goals over 21 Serie A games with Fiorentina this season, and has added another four over seven with the Bianconeri so far.
The 14-cap Serbia star also scored on his Champions League debut against Villarreal in the last 16 in February. But Vlahovic could not help Massimiliano Allegri’s side avoid a shock exit. Unai Emery’s Submarino Amarillo took a 3-0 win in Turin to reach the quarter-finals.
But had Arteta won the race for Vlahovic, Richards feels his arrival to replace Aubameyang would have capped the ideal window for Arsenal. He is also confident that Arteta has the tools to avoid further dramas in the dressing room at the Emirates Stadium going forward.
“Football is evolving, and Arteta is from the new school of managers, a man who not long ago was playing and can understand what a dressing room needs to run smoothly,” wrote Richards. “He will know what his squad needs to keep them happy, on and off the pitch.
“You should not forget, either, that Arteta has been brave. It was a big call to allow Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s sale to Barcelona in January. If he had signed Dusan Vlahovic from Fiorentina as his replacement, the transfer window would have been perfect.”
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
