Arsenal fans will look back at their summer transfer window with no regrets. From their perspective, they spent well and strengthened in necessary positions. For Mikel Arteta, though, he will never be fully satisfied. The perfectionist manager will look back at the transfer window and see some holes which he wishes to rectify in the upcoming windows.
Arsenal promise to try to sign Ousmane Diomande next summer
Indeed, there is one player who Arsenal were willing to sign but never managed to. According to Record (via Sport Witness), Arsenal were “willing to offer” €35m (£30m) for the defender Ousmane Diomande from Sporting CP. However, Sporting were not interested in this offer since his release clause is €80m (£68.5m).
According to the report, though, the Gunners have made a promise that they will come back to try and sign the talented defender who primarily plays as a centre back in the summer transfer window.
It’s thought that Ousmane Diomande is a defender who Mikel Arteta truly likes. So much so, the Gunners have been linked with him in the past two transfer windows but they’ve failed to land him. Arteta is a manager who’ll stop at nothing to get what he wants and given the trust the board has in him, it’s likely they’ll grant his wishes by offering the funds to sign Diomande.
Indeed, Arsenal signed Jurrien Timber in the summer transfer window instead as he met Mikel Arteta’s immediate needs. However, there will come a time where Arsenal need to strengthen their defence more and this is when Diomande will be signed.
Ageing at 19 years old, his value is only going to climb. Therefore, the sooner that Arsenal can reach an agreement with Sporting CP, the better.
Do you think Mikel Arteta will sign Ousmane Diomande from Sporting CP next summer?