Mikel Arteta and Arsenal must avoid this striker transfer trap at all costs

Remember this golden rule for life: If something seems too good to be true, then there is probably a catch.

Arsenal should heed it over the coming months and especially in light of recent transfer news in Italy, with Serie A giants Juventus confirming that striker Dusan Vlahovic will leave the club for free at the end of this month.

At first glance, it looks like the sort of market opportunity that managers talk up every year and one for Mikel Arteta in particular to explore.

The boss pushed hard for Vlahovic back in January 2022 but was rebuffed for two main reasons: first, he had limited financial power (the Gunners had spent big the previous summer; Vlahovic ultimately went to Juventus for £66.6m) and, secondly, the player himself preferred to stay in Italy having spent three and a half years at Fiorentina already.

Dusan Vlahovic is a transfer trap which Mikel Arteta and Arsenal should avoid at all costs

Fast forward to the present day and money is no longer an issue for Arsenal. Four successive top-two finishes – including a title win, you might have heard – and reaching the UCL final mean the club is on course to become the richest in England.

As for location, north London is still as far from Turin as ever but perhaps Vlahovic is open to a move abroad after eight years in Italy; one would imagine that a call from the champions of England might appeal to him.

But this is a trap and Arsenal must avoid it at all costs. Not only did the striker reject them four years ago, he has also endured a tough time with injuries during his Juventus stint and only returned from an adductor injury in March after three months out of action.

Arteta does not like to convince players to join the club, saying back in 2020 that it “holds me back a little bit” if he has to sell his project to them. Thus, it seems Vlahovic blew his chance when Arsenal first came calling and a terrible injury record, combined with his huge wage demands (cited as being the main factor in his Juve departure), make this deal a non-runner.

There is a chance that the boss will see something in him. Everyone knows he loves a project signing (e.g. Raheem Sterling, Kai Havertz, Noni Madueke) and, at 26 years old, Vlahovic might still have lots to offer.

If Arteta still recognises the man he pushed to sign back in 2022, then getting him for free in 2026 is not all that implausible.

But fans have seen this story too many times: a big name arrives for ‘free’ or lands a new deal, only to then lose their way/get injured and become a shadow of their former selves, thus losing the traits which had made them such an asset and proceeding to see out their contract on the periphery as no one wants/can afford to take them off the club's hands.

The boss did go back for David Raya when the opportunity arose in 2023; he should leave Vlahovic to seek other pastures.

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