Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta rejected the chance to sign Paris Saint-Germain forward Mauro Icardi during the January transfer window, according to reports in England.
The Argentinan international could have been involved in a part-exchange deal with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang but the Gunners were not interested in recruiting the player.
It is believed that Arteta and the club’s recruitment team already have targets in mind to strengthen up front, with Icardi not among those being considered. Fans on Twitter believe it was the right decision not to pursue the striker:
What I want to here tbh, nothing wrong with this, he is having to clear out dead woods from panic buying 👍🏻👍🏻
— james john walls (@minijamesuk) February 14, 2022
Good decision by Mikel Arteta..Arsenal already has more than enough drama than for Icardi to add to it.
— Adewale Adeyemo (@whaleyboi001) February 14, 2022
Icardi isn’t what we need though. Risky and bet he’d be after a hefty wage
— Nero (@Nero16960689) February 14, 2022
Better he gets a player he wants and will fit rather than getting them for the “name” as it were. We’ll see if this pays off.
— Savage Viking (@SavageViking42) February 14, 2022
If he and Wanda didn’t act like children I’d have taken this
— Local Man (@DavidJohnWill8) February 14, 2022
I like that he did that actually. It is time we start getting the invinciblesque type players
— Justus Ekeigwe (@justmanj) February 14, 2022
Why go through all the pain of getting rid of a poor employee then just hire the first person available. Impressive determination from Arsenal
— Vince in SW London (@SW_London_Guy) February 14, 2022
How long have we been crying about bringing in deadwood just to fill a spot the likes of Kim kallstrom, Denis Suarez I’m glad we have a manager that says no.
— ryan hobbs (@ryanhobbs6) February 15, 2022
Icardi has 10x worse personality compared to Auba. They are selling Auba because of issues off the pitch, I don’t see how they would sign Icardi, who has a history of causing issues off the pitch…
— Eigen Value (@eigenvalue123) February 14, 2022
If Arteta doesn’t think Icardi is a good fit for his system then it was probably wise that Arsenal didn’t bring in the 28-year-old. The Gunners have made too many panic buys over the years.
Icardi was unlikely to improve the dressing room atmosphere either, with his wife and agent Wanda Nara having proven to be a controversial figure over the years. That could have been another reason why Arteta opted to steer clear of the player.