Arsenal given crazy Arthur transfer demands from Juventus

Arsenal slumped to defeat in their Carabao Cup semi-final with Liverpool, with attention immediately shifting to the January transfer market.

The gulf between both sides became clear from the depth of the respective squads. Albeit with Arsenal missing players through AFCON and suspension, their lack of the appropriate personnel in certain departments places their top four hopes at risk.

Thomas Partey’s sending off exacerbated the issues in midfield. Despite his sooner than anticipated return from international duty, he now joins Granit Xhaka in being suspended for Sunday’s Premier League clash with Burnley.

Throughout this window only one midfielder has come anywhere near joining Arsenal, with a deal for Arthur bubbling away over the past few weeks. Keen to get a loan deal sorted for the Brazilian, his agent Federico Pastorello even met with Edu at London Colney in a bid to thrash out a move before the deadline.

Arsenal given crazy Arthur transfer demands from Juventus who want 18-month loan with €50m buy option that Gunners should walk away from

The sticking point remains that Juventus will only sanction his departure once they sign a replacement, which they are yet to conclude, but new developments should be pushing Arsenal further and further away.

Talk of I Bianconeri wanting the deal to be an 18-month loan with a buy option has emerged, not in line with Arsenal’s desire for a simple loan until the end of the season, and the whole move is in serious jeopardy given the Italian side’s crazy demands.

As per Marcello Chirico, who covers the club, Juventus are indeed asking for an 18-month loan move, one with a staggering €50m option to buy.

There are huge red flags coming up. Firstly, the player is not worth anywhere near that kind of money on current form. It is only an option and Arsenal are not obliged to pay it, but for that amount they could secure other targets more suited to their style.

A loan move to the end of the season benefits Arsenal as there is no knowing how the midfielder will fare in the Premier League, and if he turns out to be another Dani Ceballos or, heaven forbid, Denis Suarez, then at least they aren’t shackled with his rumoured £100k-per-week salary for another year thereafter.

There are other concerns with Arthur. There is clear talent buried deep down, but he is guilty of being too slow on the ball, not overly athletic in defensive transitions and his off-field antics do not paint him in a good light.

If these are the terms that Juventus demand then the plug needs pulling. This is precisely the kind of move Arsenal have, and should continue, to avoid. It is not in line with the strategy, reeks of desperation and, to top it all off, the player isn’t worth it either.

Walk away.