Dusan Vlahovic: 3 reasons Arsenal shouldn’t sign striker

2. Vlahovic Doesn’t Want to Join Arsenal – Don’t Force Him

At this stage Fiorentina have handed control over to Torchia and Vlahovic to get this deal done. The Italian side know that they won’t be able to command this amount of money again and the offer in place from Arsenal matches their demands.

But there is a sticking point, one that has remained prevalent throughout: Vlahovic is yet to be entirely convinced of the move.

20 months ago, so just shortly after taking over the reins, Arteta sat down with Ian Wright and said this:

"“The moment we mention Arsenal, Ian you know what it means around the world,” he told the Arsenal legend. “Everybody wants to come here and we have a really clear idea of what we are. “It doesn’t need much convincing and if they do, for me it’s not a good starting point. If I have to convince a player to stay or to join us. To Arsenal? It holds me back a little bit. “It has to be ‘what do we have to do? I want to play for that club and represent exactly the values the style of play that I want’. That’s the kind of emotion I want to hear at the start.”"

The manager was very clear: if I have to go out of my way to convince you to join the club then I should be concerned.

Now, of course, this was in May 2020. Arsenal have finished in eighth position two seasons running and aren’t competing in Europe for the first time in 25 years. There is a fair share of understanding from Vlahovic’s point of view that he has concerns over playing Champions League football and competing for honours. In terms of being convinced of a ‘project’, however, there are few clubs with such ambitious goals as Arsenal’s with the strategy they have in place.

Join in the winter and be the man to propel them into the Champions League.

But none of it matters if he doesn’t want to come. It’s not about him being right or wrong, it’s about him being invested.

Arsenal have worked hard to form a group who want to play for the club. If he’s not on the same page then he should be left to finish his own book.

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