Arsenal dealt double midfield transfer blow as soon-to-be free agent to stay put
Last Updated: January 22, 2022 12:28 pm
Arsenal have been dealt something of a blow on the recruitment front as the latest reports from Italy suggests that their pursuit of Arthur may be over.
The Gunners have been pursuing a move for the Juventus midfielder on an initial loan basis for the rest of the season to add another body to their threadbare midfield, and had held face to face talks with the player’s entourage earlier this week.
It was thought that a deal would be difficult to strike given the differences between the clubs already, with Mikel Arteta and co. only keen on a six month loan, while the Turin side wanted to agree an 18-month stint away with an option to buy at the end of it.
More on Arthur Melo deal. After meeting between his agent and Arsenal today, Juventus asked for 18 months loan plus buy option to let Arthur leave 🇧🇷 #AFC
Arsenal have only offered a straight loan until end of the current season. Player keen on the move – but nothing agreed yet.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 19, 2022
And, quizzed on the links, the Juventus manager suggested that the Brazilian won’t be going anywhere this January.
“This is our team and we’re not gonna change anything”, Allegri said. “Arthur’s part of Brazil national team, he’s an important player”
Meanwhile, it seems as though a replacement or two may be needed for the Old Lady, with Aaron Ramsey also on the verge of leaving the club to return to the Premier League.
Aaron Ramsey will leave Juventus in the final week of the window, Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri: “Aaron’s not with the team as he’s set to leave the club”. 🏴 #transfers
Talks ongoing for his Premier League comeback.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 22, 2022
In doing so, he will deal former club Arsenal a transfer blow, but he is not alone in doing so.
Zakaria to snub Juve
Now, as per a report from Football.Italia, soon-to-be out of contract midfielder Denis Zakaria has turned down the opportunity to join Juventus this January.
The Swiss midfielder currently plays for Borussia Monchengladbach but is available for around 6-7 million pounds as the German side look for one last windfall before he leaves for nothing in the summer.
However, Zakaria himself is thought to be ready to turn down January approaches in order to have better options in the summer, with the Premier League reportedly very much of interest.
This means that Juventus will have to begin their midfielder search all over again, and hands Arsenal another blow in the pursuit of Arthur, a deal that is looking increasingly unlikely.
Read more:
How Manchester City signing Julian Alvarez could hand Arsenal a transfer boost
Arsenal vs Burnley betting tips: Premier League preview, predictions and odds
This article was edited by Josh Barker.
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| Arsenal vs Everton Result/Both teams score | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | 2/1 | 7/5 |
| Everton | 12/1 | 14/1 |
| Draw | 9/2 | 14/1 |
| Arsenal vs Everton Goalscorers | First | Last | Anytime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexandre Lacazette | 21/10 | 21/10 | 10/11 |
| Eddie Nketiah | 12/5 | 12/5 | 21/20 |
| Gabriel Martinelli | 11/4 | 11/4 | 6/5 |
| Bukayo Saka | 10/3 | 10/3 | 6/4 |
| Dominic Calvert-Lewin | 7/2 | 7/2 | 13/5 |
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Manchester City | 37 | 72 | 90 |
| 2 | Liverpool FC | 37 | 66 | 89 |
| 3 | Chelsea FC | 36 | 42 | 70 |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 37 | 24 | 68 |
| 5 | Arsenal FC | 37 | 9 | 66 |
| 6 | Manchester United | 37 | 1 | 58 |
| 7 | West Ham United | 37 | 11 | 56 |
| 8 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 37 | -3 | 51 |
| 9 | Leicester City | 36 | 0 | 48 |
| 10 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 37 | -4 | 48 |
| 11 | Brentford FC | 37 | -7 | 46 |
| 12 | Newcastle United | 37 | -19 | 46 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace | 36 | 4 | 45 |
| 14 | Aston Villa | 36 | -1 | 44 |
| 15 | Southampton FC | 37 | -21 | 40 |
| 16 | Everton FC | 36 | -20 | 36 |
| 17 | Leeds United | 37 | -38 | 35 |
| 18 | Burnley FC | 36 | -18 | 34 |
| 19 | Watford FC | 37 | -42 | 23 |
| 20 | Norwich City | 37 | -56 | 22 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 22 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 21 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 18 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 16 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City | 15 |
| Jota, Diogo | Liverpool FC | 15 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 15 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 14 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City | 13 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace | 13 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 12 |
| Toney, Ivan | Brentford FC | 12 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 11 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City | 11 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 11 |
| Mahrez, Riyad | Manchester City | 11 |
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 11 |
| Pukki, Teemu | Norwich City | 11 |
| Watkins, Ollie | Aston Villa | 11 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 10 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xhaka, Granit | Arsenal FC | 1 | 10 |
| Firpo, Junior | Leeds United | 0 | 11 |
| Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 0 | 10 |
| Brownhill, Josh | Burnley FC | 0 | 10 |
| Bednarek, Jan | Southampton FC | 0 | 10 |
| Mings, Tyrone | Aston Villa | 0 | 10 |
| Tarkowski, James | Burnley FC | 0 | 10 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 10 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 0 | 9 |
| Moreno, Rodrigo | Leeds United | 0 | 9 |
| Neves, Ruben | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 9 |
| Rudiger, Antonio | Chelsea FC | 0 | 9 |
| Mctominay, Scott | Manchester United | 0 | 9 |
| Salisu, Mohammed | Southampton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 0 | 8 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 0 | 7 |
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 1 | 7 |
| Alonso, Marcos | Chelsea FC | 0 | 8 |
| James, Daniel | Leeds United | 1 | 7 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 13 |
| Alexander-Arnold, Trent | Liverpool FC | 12 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 10 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 10 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City | 10 |
| Robertson, Andy | Liverpool FC | 10 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 9 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 9 |
| Cancelo, Joao | Manchester City | 9 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City | 8 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 8 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 8 |
| Kulusevski, Dejan | Tottenham Hotspur | 8 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 7 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City | 7 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 7 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 7 |
| Mbeumo, Bryan | Brentford FC | 7 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 6 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 6 |
