Mikel Arteta Stopped A Swap Involving Former Barcelona Player Coming To Arsenal

Arsenal has already been in ample trouble and now as per reports, they let go of Emerson Royal because Mikel Arteta believed that the erstwhile Barcelona defender wasn’t really a great fit in the Gunners line-up.

Going by the rumours, Arsenal held talks initially with Barcelona to rope in the likes of Emerson Royal. However, the move fell apart because Mikel Arteta believed that the attack-minded Royal would have been an absolute misfit in his plans.

The transfer saga revolving around Royal and Tomiyasu that followed

Royal joined Spurs and under the stewardship of Nuno Espirito Santos made his debut against Crystal Palace where the Lilywhites were defeated comprehensively. According to the Athletic, Edu, technical director of Arsenal was in advanced talks with the Catalans for a swap deal of Hector Bellerin and Emerson Royal.

As the current status stands, Hector Bellerin left for Real Betis on loan while Arsenal settled for Japanese sensation, Takehiro Tomayisu.

Though no concrete reason was provided for the swap deal falling through, but it is said that Arteta wanted Tomayisu’s defensive solidity instead of Royal’s repeated explorations in the attacking third.

So far with just a solitary game under the belt of both the transfers that we have talked about, it seems that things have worked out pretty well for both sides.

Arsenal and Spurs’ League illustrations at a glance

Arsenal had a forgettable start to the season with defeats to newly promoted Brentford followed by thrashings at the hands of European champions, Chelsea and Premier League champions, Manchester City.

Though there was a rollicking display in the cup that was straddled by the League fixtures, the heaviness of the defeats in the League limited Arsenal’s joys.

Spurs, on the contrary, was off to a blinder under their new preceptor as they won their three opening games by the slenderest margins but came an unexpected cropper against Crystal Palace.

With the next game week returning in less than two days, it will be an interesting factor to see how these two teams perform, especially with the defensive reinforcements in place.