Aston Villa’s late winner would’ve pained Mikel Arteta for a reason everyone seems to have forgotten

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Emiliano Buendia broke Mikel Arteta’s heart for more reasons than one after scoring a last-minute winner against Arsenal.

For the first time since August, Arsenal lost a match, falling short to Aston Villa with the last kick of the game. 

Buendia scored with seconds to spare to send Villa Park into pandemonium and the away end into despair. 

It’s not all doom and gloom for Arsenal after the defeat; however, Arteta in particular would’ve suffered from the late-winner due to it being Buendia who scored. 

• READ MORE: Mikel Arteta did something vs Aston Villa that hasn’t happened at Arsenal in almost 12 years

Mikel Arteta tried to sign Aston Villa’s match-winner Emiliano Buendia twice at Arsenal 

In 2021, Arteta was on the prowl for an attacking midfielder following the conclusion of Martin Odegaard’s loan from Real Madrid. 

Fascinatingly, the man on the Arsenal manager’s mind was Buendia, who was in demand after a 31-goal contribution season at Norwich City. 

Sky Sports revealed that Arsenal had two bids rejected for Buendia, with the fee reaching up to £35m. 

Aston Villa eventually signed the playmaker, for reasons that the player himself revealed this year when speaking to TalkNorwichCity. 

“I was close, it was there, but in these things I like to be involved but not completely, as I like my space,” Buendia explained.

“I think the reason why I chose Aston Villa was to feel like an important player in an important project.”

Four years down the line, and Buendia certainly feels important, having scored Villa’s crucial match-winner against the Gunners to send his side three points below Arsenal in the Premier League table.

Arsenal’s alternative to Buendia has become a hero

After being rejected by the Argentine, Arteta was reminded of his quality on matchday 15.

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Fortunately, things worked out for the boss, who eventually went ahead with the permanent signing of Odegaard, who has gone on to become the club captain.

Signed for just £35m, the Norwegian is now worth £70m, as per Transfermarkt, proving Arsenal’s purchase to be a steal. 

Things might not have worked out for Arteta when it came to Buendia, but the Gunners won’t be losing sleep over their transfer miss, having bagged Odegaard instead.