Journalist Charles Watts has now reflected on the 2022 transfer saga concerning Arsenal and Dusan Vlahovic.
In the January of 2022, Arsenal were heavily linked with a move for then-Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic.
On 29th January of that year, Juventus secured the services of Vlahovic from Fiorentina for a fee of £66.6 million. Prior to the completion of that deal though, the Gunners had been hotly tipped to bring the Serbian forward to the Emirates Stadium.
As reported by Italian outlet SportMediaset, Arsenal had several bids for the player rejected, and at one stage were set to table a £68 million offer.
Following Vlahovic’s move to Turin, The Mirror claimed that Arsenal sporting director Edu had indeed pushed hard to get a deal done on behalf of the Gunners.
However, Charles Watts has now poured cold water on that theory. Speaking on his Inside Arsenal YouTube channel, the reporter stated, “on Vlahovic…I remember that summer of Arsenal, ‘they’re bidding for Vlahovic, they’ve bid’…All that time I was being told that that wasn’t the case, he wasn’t that high up on the list of targets. He’s a player they’d monitored, but all the talk we were seeing from Italy about rejected bids, and all that stuff, I was just being told ‘it’s not the case.’”
“Arsenal felt they were being used, not just by Vlahovic’s agent, but by Fiorentina as well, to try and get more interest in him, to drum up the price tag, so that ultimately Juventus would have to pay big, big money.”
Current Arsenal striker search unlikely to involve Dusan Vlahovic
Arsenal are now once again in the market for a striker. The likes of Victor Osimhen, Evan Ferguson, and Ivan Toney are all thought to be on Mikel Arteta’s shortlist.
It would seem, though, that Vlahovic is not a name being seriously considered. As a club, Arsenal may well still be harbouring some resentment over how their name was apparently used as a pawn in the midst of dealings between Fiorentina and Juventus.
Of course, it is possible that the north London club put this story of their own interest in Vlahovic having been exaggerated out there themselves in an effort to save face, having missed out on the player.
In any case, Vlahovic hasn’t exactly pulled up trees at Juventus. In 74 appearances for the Serie A giants to date he has bagged 28 goals. This is a respectable return, but does not place him amongst the most prolific strikers in the European game.
Osimhen, Ferguson, and Toney would all represent more exciting acquisitions than Vlahovic now. Osimhen has proven himself at Napoli to be one of the most explosive strikers currently plying his trade in the game. Premier League icon Alan Shearer has dubbed teenage sensation Ferguson a future “superstar.” Meanwhile, Toney has demonstrated his ability to be prolific in the top flight of English football.
Arsenal have shown an ability in recent windows to land their top targets, as Arteta has transformed the club into a more attractive destination. Beating Manchester City to Declan Rice in the summer proves this. Whoever they identify as their top striker target, the Gunners will back themselves to get a deal done.
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