Why Mikel Arteta blocked Arsenal deal to sign Chelsea striker Joao Pedro
Arsenal considered a bid for Chelsea striker Joao Pedro (Picture: Getty) Arsenal put Chelsea striker Joao Pedro on their longlist of possible transfer targets over the summer but decided against making an official move. Mikel Arteta was open to signing a new striker after Viktor Gyokeres’ mixed first season at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners were ready to sanction a huge bid for Julian Alvarez but the Atletico Madrid striker was reluctant to return to the Premier League and had his heart set on a move to Barcelona. Arsenal of course had the chance to make a move for another striker and bosses at the north London club expressed interest in Chelsea’s Pedro. Exclusive Premier League previews Get ahead of the start of the season with our weekly football newsletter. Sign up now for free. The Brazil international enjoyed a promising first season at Stamford Bridge, scoring 20 goals in all competitions, and has netted two goals in four games so far this season. Pedro was less influential in Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday as the Gunners climbed back to the top of the table and ended the Blues’ perfect start to the new season. A number of pundits still view Pedro as one of the best strikers in the Premier League and the 24-year-old has many ‘admirers’ at Chelsea’s London rivals Arsenal. Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta (Picture: Getty) But Arsenal decided not to move for Pedro as there were ‘concerns’ over how the Brazilian would fit into Arteta’s system at Arsenal, according to BBC Sport. Pedro, who was heavily linked with Barcelona earlier in the summer, views Arsenal defender Gabriel as the ‘toughest’ opponent he has come up against in the Premier League. ‘The toughest defender to play against this season? Top three: Willian Pacho and Jonathan Tah, but Gabriel Magalhaes was the toughest in my opinion,’ the attacker told TNT Sports Brasil back in May. Arsenal wanted to sign Julian Alvarez from Atletico Madrid (Picture: Getty) ‘I was surprised by his speed, but I gave him a hard time, too! He’s been inspired this season.’ Meanwhile, Michael Owen believes Manchester United should have launched a move for Pedro years ago as he has always been a ‘huge fan’ of the Chelsea star. Asked to name Arsenal’s biggest rival for the Premier League title this season, Owen told The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast: ‘Chelsea. ‘This could be way off the mark but they’ve got no Europe at all and you see how important that has been over the years. It was brilliant for Manchester United last year. ‘This manager [Xabi Alonso] did something similar with an unfancied team in Germany [Bayer Leverkusen], he’s going to change a lot, they’ve bought well. ‘I’m a huge Joao Pedro fan, I think he’s unbelievable. In fact, Manchester United should have bought him about four years ago when he was at Watford. ‘United had nobody up front for years and I thought, “That Joao Pedro”, I love him.’ For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source
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