Arsenal
Aston Villa
Chelsea
Crystal Palace
Everton
Fulham
Leeds United
Liverpool
Manchester City
Manchester United
Newcastle United
Nottingham Forest
Southampton
Tottenham Hotspur
West Ham United
Wolverhampton Wanderers
News
Report: £61m star actually wanted to join Arsenal in January but deal collapsed because of Tottenham
According to , Arthur Melo wanted to join Arsenal in January, but Rodrigo Bentancur signing for Tottenham made Juventus block that deal.
The Gunners were heavily linked with a move for Arthur in the winter window. Mikel Arteta wanted another player in the middle of his park after Ainsley Maitland-Niles was allowed to join AS Roma on loan.
A deal for Arthur looked like a straightforward one to complete considering that the Brazilian was barely playing in Turin under Massimiliano Allegri.
Many Arsenal fans were led to believe that the midfielder would join their club on loan, but that deal collapsed – all thanks to their North London rivals, Tottenham.
Tottenham signing Bentancur ruined Arsenal’s Arthur Melo deal
The report claims that Arsenal technical director Edu Gaspar was the one who brought up Arthur’s name during transfer discussions at the club in January.
Edu and the £61 million midfielder know each other from the Brazilian national team, and the Arsenal transfer chief believed he would be an excellent signing for the Gunners.
The report reveals that Arthur was also ‘seduced’ by Arsenal’s proposal and was ready to leave Turin to don the colours of the Emirates Stadium club.
However, just as it looked like a deal was set to be agreed, Juventus refused to sanction a move because they had just reached an agreement with Tottenham to sell Bentancur.
They just didn’t want to let two of their midfielders leave in the final week of the window.
Bentancur has been brilliant for Spurs
Tottenham signed Dejan Kulusevski and Bentancur in the January transfer window, and the Swede has been the one making all the noise. The 22-year-old was spectacular for Spurs last term, scoring five goals and providing eight assists in just under 1400 minutes of football.
Bentancur deserves immense praise as well. The Uruguayan slotted in the middle of the park magnificently, and he ended the campaign as arguably Tottenham’s best midfielder. He will surely get even better for Spurs next season.
Arsenal supporters, on the other hand, must be wondering what would’ve happened if Edu had secured a deal for Arthur before Spurs entered talks for Bentancur. Juventus may well have rejected Tottenham’s offer then, which could’ve had a huge impact in the Champions League race.
Tottenham fans will surely be glad that they got their man, and the fact that it ruined Arsenal’s chance of signing Arthur just makes it much better for them.
