Arsenal planned an attempt to sign Arda Guler from Real Madrid last winter, but their move for the youngster never ended up happening.
Fabrizio Romano reports for his YouTube channel that before Andrea Berta was appointed as Arsenal’s sporting director, the club considered the possibility of signing Arda Guler from Real Madrid.
Arsenal’s pursuit hinged on a number of different factors, such as whether Carlo Ancelotti remained at the club, and whether Real Madrid would open the doors to a departure.
But with Berta arriving at Arsenal, Xabi Alonso taking over from Ancelotti, and Guler becoming a regular starter, the deal was effectively off.
Romano adds that as a result of those changes, Arsenal never even opened club-to-club talks over the signing, despite holding internal conversations about the potential transfer.
As mentioned, Guler is now a starter under Xabi Alonso, featuring in the lineup in all three of Real Madrid’s first three games of the new campaign.
With one goal, one assist, and three wins, there’s little suggestion that he’s set to lose that spot in the team anytime soon.
Arsenal obviously have a positive history of recruiting from Real Madrid, with talented midfielders Mesut Özil and Martin Odegaard joining and taking on a lot of responsibility in north London.
Perhaps Dani Ceballos wasn’t quite so universally acclaimed during his Gunners spell. But at least his Arsenal moves were only on a loan basis, costing the club little more than his wages.
Arsenal were clearly keen to make Guler the next player to follow in the same footsteps last winter, but the transfer no longer looks like a realistic possibility.