A list detailing 21 players Arsenal targeted during the summer transfer window has been published, revealing significant interest in Chelsea striker Joao Pedro and two Tottenham Hotspur defenders, among others.
The Premier League champions, who made five major signings for nearly £200 million, also pursued Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior, who appears on the list of 21 players Arsenal did not acquire.
Joao Pedro is among nine Premier League players on the list. Also included are Tottenham centre-back duo Micky van der Ven and Cristian Romero. Van der Ven remained with Tottenham, signing a new contract, while Romero transferred to Atletico Madrid for £34 million.
Arsenal's search for a new attacking player to bolster their Champions League ambitions included pursuits of Julian Alvarez and Vinicius Junior. Other targets on the list are Bradley Barcola, who joined Liverpool for £123 million, and Real Madrid's £120 million acquisition, Yan Diomande. Sandro Tonali, Elliot Anderson, and Morgan Rogers, who were signed by Tottenham, Manchester City, and Chelsea respectively for fees exceeding £100 million, are also named.
Arsenal pursued Aston Villa forward Rogers for a considerable part of the early summer before Chelsea secured his signing.
The full list, as reported by the BBC, also includes Kenan Yildiz (Juventus), Nico Paz and Jacobo Ramon (both Como), Malick Fofana (Lyon), Jeremy Monga and Louis Page (both Leicester City), Ivan Fresneda (Sporting Lisbon), and Tarik Muharemovic (Sassuolo). Additional Premier League players on the list are Eli Junior Kroupi and Alex Scott (both Bournemouth), and Amadou Onana (Aston Villa).
Chelsea maintained that their Brazilian striker Joao Pedro was not for sale this summer. Reports suggest Arsenal had reservations about how he would fit into manager Mikel Arteta's tactical system.
Arsenal did complete several signings from within the Premier League, acquiring Bruno Guimaraes and Ezri Konsa from Newcastle and Aston Villa, respectively, along with goalkeeper Illan Meslier from Leeds. Christos Tzolis was signed from Club Brugge, and Piero Hincapie's loan from Bayer Leverkusen was made permanent.
Guimaraes' transfer, ahead of Tonali and Scott, was influenced by factors such as availability and age. The move, reportedly orchestrated by sporting director Andrea Berta, was well-received at the Emirates.
Arsenal had signaled their intention to invest significantly in their squad this summer, following their Premier League title win in May. Co-chairman Josh Kroenke had previously stated the need to strengthen in anticipation of rivals improving.
Last week, it was revealed that assistant manager Gabriel Heinze had contacted Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez regarding a potential late-window transfer, but Inter reportedly declined to engage.
Despite the absence of a high-profile attacking signing, manager Arteta expressed satisfaction with the club's recruitment efforts and the attempts made to secure targets.
"The outcome after can be different to what you expect, but the intention is certainly there, which is, in my opinion, what I value the most," Arteta said when asked about the recruitment process ahead of facing Chelsea.
Arsenal's record signing remains the £105 million deal for Declan Rice from West Ham United in 2023.