Micah Richards says Arsenal signing Vlahovic would’ve been perfect move

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Micah Richards has lauded Mikel Arteta for the bravery of moving Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on in January, and insisted in the Daily Mail that Arsenal would have had the perfect window had they signed Dusan Vlahovic.

Arteta took a big gamble during the previous window. Arsenal allowed Aubameyang to leave after a number of weeks on the sidelines. And he has gone on to thrive at Barcelona.

His form arguably adds to the pressure on the Gunners to make sure that they go on and secure a top-four spot in the Premier League, particularly with Arsenal not signing another striker.

Their lack of additions was not for the lack of trying. Arsenal were heavily linked with Vlahovic. But ultimately, the Serbia international ended up moving to Juventus from Fiorentina for £66.6 million.

Richards has praised Arteta for having the courage to move Aubameyang on. And he suggested that Arsenal signing Vlahovic would have been a game-changer for the Gunners.

“Arteta has been brave. It was a big call to allow Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s sale to Barcelona in January,” he told the Daily Mail.

“If he had signed Dusan Vlahovic from Fiorentina as his replacement, the transfer window would have been perfect.”

Arsenal signing Vlahovic would have been remarkable, and Aubameyang had to go

Of course, it is easy to say that Arsenal signing Vlahovic would have been a brilliant deal. He is one of the best, most ‘outstanding‘ strikers in Europe. And it is frightening to think that he is still only 22 years of age.

It is not clear how close Arsenal came to signing Vlahovic. But it does seem to make a lot of sense for the Gunners to have let Aubameyang go.

The player everyone is seeing at Barcelona is not the one Arsenal had in his final months at the Emirates. And moving any of his wages off the bill ahead of the summer is only going to help the club.

They did not sign Vlahovic. But Arsenal will hope that they are still able to pull something special out of the hat this summer.