Arsenal information: £128m switch supply was rejected as Mikel Arteta publicly snubbed by star
Arsenal failed to land their top transfer target this summer as Mikel Arteta was left without the world class attacking talent he desired to take the Gunners to the next level
Mikel Arteta missed out on signing a world class attacker for Arsenal this summer
Premier League champions Arsenal failed to bring in a marquee forward signing this summer but things could have been even worse for the Gunners.
High profile pursuits of Vinicius Junior, Morgan Rogers and Julian Alavarez all ended in disappointment as Mikel Arteta was left without the calibre of attacking talent he desired to try and overcome Europe’s best sides, after two seasons in a row where they could not better the performances of back-to-back Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain.
Sporting director Andrea Berta managed to secure five players, worth a combined total of approximately £200million, including left-back Piero Hincapie, back-up goalkeeper Illan Meslier, winger Christos Tzolis, midfielder Bruno Guimaraes and defender Ezri Konsa. Meanwhile, Gabriel Jesus, Fabio Vieira, Reiss Nelson, Christian Norgaard, Leandro Trossard and, most recently, Gabriel Martinelli, all left the club. Here’s all the latest news from the Emirates Stadium.
Mikel Arteta has some decisions to make(Image: Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)
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Gabriel Martinelli
Gabriel Martinelli made no reference to Mikel Arteta in his Arsenal farewell message on Thursday after being forced out of the club.
The Brazilian finally sealed his £60m switch to Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Hilal this week – a record breaking sale for the Gunners, reports the Mirror.
The 25-year-old had hoped to stay with the North London giants but, following the arrival of left winger Christos Tzolis, was considered excess to requirements by Arteta.
Mikel Arteta has revealed that Gabriel Martinelli will be absent for Arsenal’s trip to Burnley(Image: (Photo by Javier Garcia/Shutterstock))
Martinelli found himself frozen out of the squad, with Eberechi Eze being favoured as cover for the role, and was nowhere to be seen in the sides that defeated Manchester City in the Community Shield and Coventry in the Premier League to start the campaign.
Arsenal legend Ian Wright questioned the club’s handling of Martinelli, alleging the player had been ignored by Arteta, though subsequent reports suggested otherwise. There were also claims his Arsenal team-mates felt uneasy about the efforts to push him out.
Nonetheless, the striker has now been confirmed as an Al-Hilal player. He made a point of omitting any reference to Arteta in his heartfelt Instagram message, despite expressing gratitude to team-mates, chefs, kit staff, doctors, doormen, security staff, media team, cleaning staff and physios.
Julian Alvarez offer rejected
Arsenal and Manchester City reportedly moved for Julian Alvarez(Image: Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
Julian Alvarez reportedly turned his back on a last-ditch bid by Manchester City to bring him back last week.
While Arsenal were gutted not to secure their primary attacking target late in the window, they will at least take comfort that he didn’t end up with Premier League rivals City.
The Argentine star had maintained throughout the summer that he was determined to quit Atletico, with Barcelona being his sole preferred destination, but his club refusing to sell to their Spanish rivals under any circumstances.
The Gunners held fire until the dying stages of the window to see if the 26-year-old might have a change of heart, having been left with just two options – remaining at Atletico or joining Arsenal – after his switch to Barca fell through.
Alvarez opted to stay put in Madrid, though not through any lack of effort from City, who allegedly tabled a Premier League record-smashing bid worth £128m to bring him back for a second stint.
Radio Marca claims City contacted the player’s representatives to gauge his interest, but received no response whatsoever.
The Etihad outfit then pulled out and redirected the funds towards signing his fellow countryman Enzo Fernandez on deadline day, although they refute making any approach to Alvarez’s camp.
