Arsenal’s transfer business over the summer has drawn plenty of praise, and their decision to snub making another signing in the window is starting to also look like a smart decision.
The Gunners spent £150million before the start of the season to bring in six new players all aged 24 and under.
The acquisitions of Aaron Ramsdale, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Benjamin White are all already benefitting the Gunners and Mikel Arteta looks to have laid the foundations for years of future success.
And the club may need to be commended again for not going overboard with their shopping spree and going above and beyond to secure targets.
Argentine midfielder Emiliano Buendia was one of Arsenal’s targets over the summer but the club decided against outbidding Aston Villa, who had submitted an offer of £33m to Norwich for the playmaker.
But the decision has proved to be a smart one, as shown by Villa’s most recent piece of business.
Steven Gerrard’s side signed Barcelona midfielder Phillipe Coutinho on loan with the option to buy on Friday.
The Brazilian was on a significant wage at Barca and thus the La Liga outfit were keen to get him off of the books having failed to live up to his expectations since arriving at the club from Liverpool in 2017.
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But despite the signing being impressive for Villa, according to Sport, the players’ representatives were said to be waiting for the Gunners to make their approach for the former Bayern Munich loanee earlier this week whilst in talks with his new club, but sadly for them, no offer arrived.
Reuniting with Gerrard could see Coutinho burst back into life and somewhat save his career, though signing the 29-year-old is a major risk, which suggests that Buendia simply isn’t meeting the mark at Villa Park.
Buendia has scored once and assisted three for Villa so far this season, figures that would certainly lead supporters to question the acquisition at Arsenal.
With Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard all performing well this season for Arteta, Buendia would have only warmed the bench at the Emirates Stadium.
Whilst playing for Norwich, the 25-year-old had free reign to drift all over the pitch and make himself a nuisance, but in a more restricted system, Buendia has found that he is unable to influence proceedings for extended periods of matches.
Speaking after Brentford beat Villa 2-1, former Villains star Gabriel Agbonlahor explained he believes Buendia goes missing too often in important games.
He told Football Insider: “Buendia goes quiet after 55 minutes. You want to see him for 90 minutes. Can a player be in a game for 90 minutes? With Buendia, you never see him in a game for 90 minutes. He goes missing.
“Steven Gerrard will want to get more out of him. Yes, you got a great assist but can you go and get a goal? Can you go and get another assist? Can you be in a game for more than 50 minutes? That’s what he’s got to do next.
“I still want more. I can see how talented he is but I want to see more. I’m sure the manager will too.”
Arsenal appear to have avoided a costly hit when turning their noses up at the opportunity to buy Buendia, which could have tarnished what was a generally top-quality window.
