ARSENAL are not expecting to make any more signings before next week’s transfer deadline despite Nicolas Pepe’s loan move to Nice.
Mikel Arteta had been hoping to buy another winger to replace £72million club record signing Pepe and provide competition for Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.
But an inquiry for Wolves’ Portuguese international Pedro Neto has been rebuffed.
And the club are not going to pay silly money after already forking out £120million to sign Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Fabio Vieira, Matt Turner and Marquinhos this summer.
Arteta said: “Part of the plan we have been preparing for the last two months was that Pepe could leave and now that is a reality.
“We have done our business in a different way this year.
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“We bought players at the start of the window before getting others out and that was a bit more risky.
“Now we have let a player go and maybe we’ll be able to recruit somebody else.
“But it’s not a guarantee and we must wait to see whether that will be possible.
“Nico was here for three years and he had some very good moments and others where he hasn’t really contributed much.
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“He wasn’t responsible for the price the club paid for him but he needs to play football again and it was the best decision for everyone to allow him to go.”
Pepe’s departure could force the club to rethink their plans to allow Reiss Nelson to leave after spending last season on loan at Feyenoord.
The Gunners have also been linked with Leicester star Youri Tielemans, although a deal is yet to materialise.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
