Edu’s biggest Arsenal transfer failure exposed by Mikel Arteta after frustrating Newcastle defeat

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Arsenal fans were left frustrated by their side yet again this season as they fell to defeat in the EFL Cup semi-final first leg to Newcastle.

The Gunners were far from their clinical best, putting down big chances in front of goal, while the Magpies took their two most clear-cut opportunities in the match.

This means Mikel Arteta has plenty of work to do over the next month to get his side back on track and on time for a potential turnaround at St. James Park in the second leg of the EFL Cup semi-final.

With defeat to Newcastle potentially proving costly, it shows a clear transfer error for Arsenal over recent months, one that Edu Gaspar left from the summer.

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Arsenal transfer failure as summer signings make zero impact vs Newcastle

With Arsenal chasing the game against Newcastle, there will have been yet more frustration that they didn’t seem like scoring in a convincing manner throughout the match.

A few big chances came and went, but it was never a barrage of attacks from the Gunners that seemed like breaking down the defiant Magpies’ defence.

Mikel Arteta shuffled his deck a few times in the match, bringing on Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Jorginho.

None were able to make the impact necessary, but there was a bigger overriding transfer message in the changes made.

Out of the whole squad, none of the four summer signings were handed any minutes to try and turn things around.

There may be a caveat in that Neto is firstly a goalkeeper and secondly ineligible for the cup competition, while Raheem Sterling is only just returning from injury.

However, snubbing Riccardo Calafiori and Mikel Merino shows they aren’t the game-changers that Arsenal perhaps need.

While they are more than capable and will have important roles, it shows Edu Gaspar’s big failure was an inability to land that X-factor forward who can change the game in the blink of an eye.

That’s been a larger, overarching theme for the season as a whole, but seems even more prevalent in knockout football.

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Arsenal must go all-out for a new forward transfer

With Edu failing to land a forward that could make the difference for Arsenal, it’s now clear they must go all-out to land one.

Their hopes in the Premier League and cup competitions could depend on it, not least given the pressure mounting on delivering silverware.

Whether they can land the sort of options they want in January is another question though, given the awkward nature of the market.

However, if their first-choice options are out there to sign, then they should throw everything at landing them.

For example, Nico Williams is available for transfer with a £50million release clause, which could make a deal possible.