5 Mikel Arteta transfer targets that Arsenal failed to sign | OneFootball

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is overseeing the club's best period in almost two decades, with the Spanish star having taken the club back towards the top of the Premier League table.

Arteta came within whiskers of guiding Arsenal to their first Premier League title in close to 20 years last season, but the capital club fell just short of eventual champions Manchester City. Hoping to harness that disappointment and use it as encouragement, the Gunners have once again started the 2023/24 campaign with all eyes on a Premier League title race.

A massive part of the Arsenal resurgence can be credited to the club's approach in the transfer market, with Arteta and sporting director Edu Gaspar working together to improve the 13-time English champions' recruitment strategy. Players like Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Magalhaes and Declan Rice have all been signed under Arteta's watch, with the trio going on to play a crucial role for the north London outfit.

However, there have been moments of frustration for Arsenal, as they've missed out on some key targets. In recognition of this, GIVEMESPORT have taken a look back at some of the transfers Arsenal failed to get over the line during Arteta's reign, to see where they are and what they're doing now.

Ilkay Gundogan

Kicking things off with one of the most recent targets, Ilkay Gundogan had been sounded as a potential option to bolster the Arsenal midfield, following the expiration of his Man City contract at the end of the 2022/23 season. Gundogan had just helped steer City to a historic treble, but it wasn't enough for the Manchester-based outfit to match the German's contract requests.

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano revealed to GIVEMESPORT back in June that Arsenal had been in contact with Gundogan's representatives about a potential move to the Emirates Stadium, with Barcelona and clubs from Saudi Arabia having also showed an interest.

The midfielder would end up securing a move to the La Liga outfit, rejecting the approach from Arsenal in the process. It was something that Gundogan opened up about shortly after joining Barcelona, with the ex-Borussia Dortmund star dubbing it a 'childhood dream' to play for the Catalonian side.

Gundogan has proved a useful addition to the Barcelona side, and even scored his first goal for the club during October's El Classico defeat to Real Madrid.

Douglas Luiz

From one midfielder to another now, Douglas Luiz was a transfer target for Arsenal during the summer 2022 window, and had looked destined to sign for the club. Earmarked as a target early doors, Arsenal pursued Luiz for a number of weeks, with the north Londoners ultimately falling short.

All in all, Arteta's side submitted three separate bids for the midfielder, with the final one arriving on deadline day in September 2022. It's reported the last offer totalled £25 million, but given the lack of time to source a replacement, the West Midlands outfit decided to reject it.

Arsenal would make do until the January window, when they secured the signature of Chelsea star Jorginho as part of a £12 million move, but there is still an overarching feeling that Luiz would've been the better option. That's because the Brazil international registered 12 G/A contributions in 37 Premier League outings for Aston Villa last season, as Unai Emery's side qualified for the Europa Conference League.

Joao Felix

There aren't many Premier League clubs Joao Felix hasn't been linked with over time, and Arsenal are no different. The Portuguese star was looking to leave Atletico Madrid during the January 2023 transfer window and the Gunners were said to have shown an interest.

Journalist Paul Brown revealed to GIVEMESPORT back in October 2022 that Felix was commanding attention from the capital club, with the Arsenal board being 'big fans' of the dynamic forward. It came at the same time reports had emerged that Felix was keen to leave Atletico following the 2022 World Cup, and a move to the Premier League was a serious option.

Of course, Felix would end up in the English capital, but the former Benfica starlet joined Arsenal's London rivals Chelsea instead. The Blues forked out close to £10 million to bring him on loan until the end of the season, yet his 20-game career for the two-time European champions would only end up rendering four goals. Ouch!

Dusan Vlahovic

Rewinding to January 2022 for this one now, at a time when Arsenal were locked in a battle for top four with north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur. Aiming to bolster their attack ahead of the run in, reports were gathering pace about Arsenal springing a move for deadly striker Dusan Vlahovic.

The Serbian international had been tearing Serie A to shreds with Fiorentina and just before the January transfer window, Vlahovic had equalled Cristiano Ronaldo's record for the most goals in Italy's top flight for a calendar year. Such strong performances understandably lead to interest from the Premier League, with Arsenal one of the clubs said to be enquiring about his services.

Ultimately though, the finances would prove too much for Arsenal to justify, as Juventus ended up signing the marksman for an eye-catching £66 million. Netting 27 goals in 72 appearances ever since, Vlahovic has proved a successful enough signing for the Serie A side, with some claims that the Gunners still to this day are missing a striker of his quality.

Mykhailo Mudryk

Finally then, Mykhailo Mudryk, who many had assumed would sign on the dotted line at the Emirates Stadium, only to end up signing for Chelsea in the same window Felix joined the Blues too. Unlike Felix though, Mudryk had looked destined to join Arsenal, only for the deal to collapse at the last minute.

It was reported back in January 2023 that Mudryk was on the verge of joining the Gunners, as Arsenal closed in on a deal said to be in the region of £80 million. A figure that would've broken the club's transfer record, Mudryk himself appeared to be gearing up for the move, with the Ukrainian international having shared pictures on social media of him watching Arsenal matches.

Instead, Chelsea would jump in at the last minute and pry Mudryk away from Arsenal, who joined from Shakhtar Donetsk for the increased price of £88.5 million. A significant rise from the bids Arsenal had tabled, meaning Shakhtar were more inclined to accept Chelsea's offer.

The jury remains out as to whether Mudryk's Chelsea switch has been a successful one, but the winger did manage to score against Arsenal, netting his second goal of the Premier League season against the side he could've easily ended up playing for himself.