Arsenal acquired four important players after a busy transfer window, picking Mikel Arteta’s desired targets.
Bournemouth goalkeeper Neto and Chelsea ace Raheem Sterling joined on a season-long loan. Whereas Riccardo Calafiori and Mikel Merino arrived as permanent signings from Bologna and Real Sociedad, respectively.
However, some of these weren’t the club’s first-choice targets. Arteta managed to squeeze out some loan moves as his side were unable to complete their earmarked dealings in the final weeks of the summer window.
RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko rejected the Gunners in favour of staying at the Red Bull Arena. Espanyol shot-stopper Juan Garcia was heavily linked, but the English side were unable to seal an agreement.
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Talking about their other striker targets, Brentford forward Ivan Toney moved to Saudi Pro League’s Al-Ahli after being snubbed by Arsenal.
Napoli star Victor Osimhen was the closest alternative, and the 25-year-old was a perfect fit under Arteta’s system. But the Gunners were reluctant to meet his £100 million asking price.
🚨 Arsenal were offered the opportunity in June to sign Victor Osimhen for his release clause. Arsenal rejected this opportunity. (@FabrizioRomano @YouTube) #AFC
— Arsenal Zone (@ArsenalZNE) September 2, 2024
The player’s potential move to Chelsea fell through, and he was against joining Al-Ahli as he wanted to play in European competitions. In the end, the Turkish Super Lig side Galatasaray snapped him up on a loan deal.
Victor Osimhen wrote down Arsenal as his next destination
It was obvious that Arsenal had ambitions going forward, and splashing a huge fee on just one player doesn’t make sense. They were better off waiting for him next year or signing another player on loan.
Same is the case for Osimhen; he has a clause in his contract that can help him break his agreement with Galatasaray if he gets a chance to move to his preferred team.
As per Standard Sport, the African honcho has written down the names of clubs that he wants to join next year: Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Bayern Munich being at the top of the list.
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Arteta needs a lethal goalscorer who can score an absurd number of goals for his team. Although Kai Havertz is running rampant this season, the German, along with Gabriel Jesus, contributed to just 17 goals last term.
Meanwhile, Osimhen scored 26 Serie A goals during Gli Azzurri’s title-winning campaign in 2023. The forward’s contract won’t end until 2026.
The Gooners need to play the patience game and try to convince the Italian elites to release their player for a cheaper fee.
It can only happen if both clubs cooperate with each other. For now, Arsenal are going well thanks to Havertz’s contributions.
