Edu dealt big transfer blow as January update emerges on 28-goal Arsenal target

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Arsenal have recently been linked with a move for former target Dusan Vlahovic, but it now seems unlikely that they will be able to sign him in January.

The Juventus forward was strongly linked with Arsenal two years ago prior to his move from Fiorentina, but has had a mixed spell in Turin, and has now been linked again.

He recently ended an eight-game goal drought to score against Inter Milan in a crucial match, but had been linked with a possible exit after scoring 28 goals in 74 games for the club.

However, it now looks likely that he will stay at Juventus, and could even sign a new contract at the club.

Arsenal likely to miss out on Dusan Vlahovic

A report from TEAMtalk has now claimed that Vlahovic is now happy at Juventus, and his club are now happy with him.

He now looks set to extend his contract beyond 2026, and by committing his future to the club, he will almost certainly rule himself out of a move to North London any time soon.

Arsenal have been keeping a close eye on his contract negotiations, but will now likely resign themselves to the fact that they will miss out on Vlahovic again after attempting to sign him in January two years ago.

Vlahovic is not the answer for Arsenal

Mikel Arteta and Edu Gaspar will have to look elsewhere if they want to sign a striker, but Vlahovic is not a player they should have been targeting anyway.

Despite his size, standing at 1.9m tall, statistically, he ranks poorly in the air, and wins less aerial duels per 90 minutes than the much smaller Gabriel Jesus.

His goal record is also poor, scoring at a rate of 0.37 non-penalty goals per 90 minutes, compared to Jesus’ 0.55.

Given that he has struggled at times at Juventus, he would not arrive as a striker in good form who could make an instant impact in the January window, and overall represents a significant downgrade on Jesus upfront.

Arsenal have been linked with Victor Osimhen, who led Napoli to a historic Serie A title last season, whilst Vlahovic and Juventus struggled, and the Nigerian would be a significantly better signing than the Serbian forward.

Vlahovic choosing to stay at Juventus may actually be a blessing in disguise for Arsenal, as it will mean that Edu can save funds for a potential deal for Osimhen, whilst a midfielder is also being prioritised amidst Thomas Partey’s injury issues.