Arsenal took a risk on Deadline Day when they chose not to sign a defensive midfielder, with Mikel Arteta’s squad now looking a little light in that department following the injury of Thomas Partey.
The Gunners lined up with Granit Xhaka and Albert Sambi Lokonga away to Manchester United on Sunday, and it’s clear that they weren’t as strong, and it cost them as they lost this big game 3-1 – their first defeat of the season.
Writing in his exclusive column for CaughtOffside, Fabrizio Romano defended Arsenal’s decision not to pay up to get a deal done for Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz on Deadline Day.
It seems the north London giants made a big offer, but it was a difficult deal to get done, and Romano has backed Arsenal to make the right decisions in the transfer market, as they have shown before that it’s worth waiting for the right player.
“It was almost impossible to negotiate with Aston Villa for Douglas Luiz and I think £25m was already a very important proposal,” Romano said.
“I am sure that the waiting strategy will still help like last January, rather than investing in a player the club does not believe in.”
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Man Utd & Chelsea will continue to monitor Frenkie de Jong's situation after both pushing hard to sign him this summer ??
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— CaughtOffside (@caughtoffside) September 6, 2022
It remains to be seen if Arsenal will live to regret this, but for now it seems fans could do well to trust the process as Arteta continues to improve this squad.