The Gunners were left disappointed after losing Mykhailo Mudryk to Chelsea after failing to agree a fee with Shakhtar Donetsk, while they turned their attention to Jorginho after Brighton refused to sell Moises Caicedo.
Mike Arteta has defended Arsenal’s sporting director Edu following the club’s failure to sign their top two January transfer targets.
The Gunners completed the transfer window with three significant additions to their first team squad: Leandro Trossard, Jakub Kiwior, and experienced Italy international midfielder Jorginho, who arrived on deadline day.
Arteta was eventually provided with reinforcements in the three areas of his squad where he had identified concerns, but Arsenal were forced to demonstrate a level of flexibility in the market that they had not anticipated.
The Gunners were left disappointed after losing Mykhailo Mudryk to Chelsea after failing to agree a fee with Shakhtar Donetsk, while they turned their attention to Jorginho after Brighton refused to sell Moises Caicedo.
Back in the summer, Arsenal lost out to Manchester United in the race to sign Lisandro Martinez, while Douglas Luiz remained at Aston Villa despite two deadline-day bids.
When asked what needed to change for Arsenal to land their priority targets in the future ahead of Saturday’s Premier League game at Everton, Arteta said it was only natural for a club with Arsenal’s financial constraints to be in a position where they would constantly need to adapt.
‘I’m really happy with what we’ve done,’ he said. In this industry, what you plan and what you can actually do rarely coincide, so you must mould and adapt.
‘We’ve done that, and the most important thing is the person’s profile, and the quality that we bring in makes us better, and I have no doubt that we’ve done that.’
Meanwhile, Arteta saw the signing of Jorginho as especially important given Mohamed Elneny’s season-ending injury.
‘We knew that in this market, you have to adapt and be flexible,’ he said. You must be prepared for inconvenience.
‘We had one with the most up-to-date information on Mo’s injury, and we needed a player in that position.
‘He’s a player I’ve always looked up to. He has a great personality and will bring leadership and quality to that position. He’ll be a huge asset to the team.’