Arsenal thought they were going to sign £113m player with Mudryk

By Sam Preston

Arsenal were confident they were going to sign Joao Felix, as well as Mykhailo Mudryk, this month but both have joined Chelsea.

The Athletic report that the Gunners knew both players wanted to join them during the January window as they sought to improve their squad.

They knew that the money quoted initially was beyond them but hoped they would be able to meet somewhere in the middle with some common sense.

But Chelsea have just come in and blown them out of the water, bolstering Graham Potter’s squad at a time when he is really struggling.

Arsenal were confident they would sign Felix

£113 million man Felix has joined Chelsea on loan but is currently serving a three-match suspension for a straight red card on his debut against Fulham.

Mudryk is yet to make his Chelsea debut but it should not take long and the Blues will hope he can make an instant impact for them.

The report says Arsenal are now working tirelessly to find an alternative option, and they have had to go for second choice targets in the past.

If you do your due diligence and have looked into your second choice targets well enough, being outbid by someone for your top pick need not be terminal.

Chelsea’s transfer strategy still looks scattergun under the new regime, while you would have faith in Arsenal’s approach to find a strong alternative to Mudryk and Felix.

It is not yet clear who that player will be, and it was obvious that Mudryk was the man they really wanted, but there is still time to get someone else in.