Arsenal’s transfer business over the last few years has been nothing short of exceptional.
In fact, you could argue that it has become the norm for Mikel Arteta to bring in top players and make them perform at a high standard.
For many, many years, it wasn’t the case, but now they have a plethora of top stars at their disposal.
But forget about the players Arsenal have signed, at times, it’s those who you don’t get that prove to be the main talking point.
On some occasions, you are left kicking and screaming at missing out on such a transfer because that individual ends up being a success elsewhere.
But on other occasions, it’s proven to be a blessing in disguise and Arsenal can certainly say that with a certain Mykhailo Mudryk.
During the January transfer window of 2023, or leading up to it, he was so desperate to sign for the club that he would even send hints via social media.
Even the fans got on that train and were keen for him to sign, but in the end, he joined Chelsea for a transfer fee of £89 million – and now he is stuck at a mid-table club that lost 5-0 at the Emirates on Tuesday night.
Glenn Hoddle thinks Arsenal fans will be ‘glad’ that they didn’t sign him and that he has ‘a lot to prove’, as he told Premier League Productions (23/04/24 at 7:05 pm).
Mudryk, who has scored four goals and supplied two assists from 26 league games this season, played just over an hour against Arsenal before being subbed off.
Mykhailo Mudryk at Arsenał
“He hasn’t done as well as I would have thought,” said Hoddle. “He nearly ended up going to Arsenal. Exactly (a player Arsenal were desperate to sign).
“At the moment, Arsenal fans will be saying ‘ooh, we are glad we didn’t take him’. He has a lot to prove.”
Leandro Trossard at Arsenal
This is the transfer that wouldn’t have happened if Mudryk had joined the club.
At times, that first-choice player isn’t the one you want or need, but the one very few people are talking about.
Leandro Trossard is that player because he has been sensational since joining from Brighton, including scoring against Chelsea in midweek.
That’s ten Premier League goals for the Belgian star. 16 goals and 12 assists in total for the Gunners, with Mudryk scoring six times and assisting four times during that period.
Yet Arsenal paid a much smaller transfer fee for the Belgian star!