Arsenal late signing attempts ‘soured’ Prem relationship as Gunners summer chances plummet | OneFootball

Arsenal’s late attempts to snare Moises Caicedo have reportedly ‘soured’ their relationship with Brighton, meaning their chances of a summer snare have plummeted.

The Gunners’ transfer window was not one of the more eventful in the Premier League. And that’s with good reason, Mikel Arteta’s side are five points clear at the top of the table.

As such, any incomings were likely to be to provide more depth in each position. It’s fair to say that Leandro Trossard and Jakub Kiwior were brought to the club for that reason.

The former won’t expect to force his way past Gabriel Martinelli immediately. Indeed, the Brazilian is having a fantastic campaign, having scored seven times and provided three assists in all competitions.

Similarly, Kiwior will know he’s got to bide his time to break into the starting XI. William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes are the clear options to start at the heart of the defence, with Ben White also an option, and Rob Holding waiting in the wings.

Jorginho could be the closest a new Arsenal signing is to finding a regular spot in the side. Indeed, 143 Premier League appearances on top of a Champions League title show he’s very capable of doing so.

Beyond those snares, there were links to some big transfers, with one dominating the latter stages of the window.

That was for Brighton midfielder Caicedo. The Gunners reportedly sent two bids to the Amex outfit, the biggest of which apparently in the region of £70million.

Their persistence in their attempts to sign the midfielder, who has played just 31 times for Brighton, shows just how much they rate him.

However, it could come back to bite them. Indeed, The Athletic reports that Arsenal’s relationship with Brighton has suffered as a result of their January pursuit.

That report suggests the relationship has ‘soured Brighton’s respect’ for the Gunners and has ‘weakened’ their position in terms of signing players from the South Coast club.

What’s more, Caicedo’s destination is now ‘less likely’ to be Arsenal given they have ‘dropped down the pecking order’ of clubs Brighton want to negotiate with.

That’ll be a big blow, as it looks as if Arteta’s side will renew their attempts to snare Caicedo in the summer. That could be to little avail, with the Seagulls now disgruntled at their previous attempts.