ARSENAL’S board overruled Unai Emery’s request to sign Wilfried Zaha, Harry Maguire and Thomas Partey this summer, according to reports.
The Spaniard was given over £130million worth of new signings during the transfer window by the Gunners but was sacked following the club’s worst run of form for 42 YEARS.
Unai Emery was overruled in his bid to land Wilfried Zaha with Arsenal’s board opting to sign Nicolas Pepe
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Emery admitted that Arsenal’s failure to qualify for the Champions League for a third successive season in May hampered his rebuilding plans.
According to The Athletic, the former Paris Saint-Germain boss had proposed several transfer targets to the club’s board but ultimately three key signings were missed.
Emery hoped to swoop for Crystal Palace talisman Zaha after the Ivorian starred in the Eagles 3-2 win over Arsenal at the Emirates back in April.
However, the club’s hierarchy favoured a move for his compatriot Pepe, primarily because the club-record £72m winger was the younger of the two.
Arsenal did make a £40million bid for Zaha in the summer but decided not to continue their interest, with Emery insisting in October that he was happy to have missed out.
But the 48-year-old, who was without Mesut Ozil and Granit Xhaka for periods of the season, was unable to bolster his midfield options as well.
Emery was keen on Atletico Madrid’s Partey, who was desperate for a move to the Emirates in the summer.
Yet the Gunners board deemed his £42m release clause too expensive after “committing the bulk of their resources to bringing in a wide player.”
Emery faced a similar problem with his bid to snap up Harry Maguire ahead of Manchester United but a failure to get additional Champions League revenue meant they stood no chance of matching the £80m offer.
The north London club instead completed a deal for David Luiz, who has since been labelled a ‘disaster’ by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher.
Chelsea fans have also bragged that selling the mishap Brazilian was the ‘best business ever’ with Arsenal’s last clean sheet coming on October 6.
Luiz also has the unfortunate honour of jinxing the club, who have yet to win in seven Premier League matches since he insisted they could challenge for the title.
Arsenal boss Freddie Ljungberg planning talks with £72m flop Nicolas Pepe with winger struggling to adapt
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
