Arsenal dropped their interest in Layvin Kurzawa after Mikel Arteta vetoed technical director Edu’s recommendation.
Arteta has been desperate to bolster his defensive options during the transfer window amid a mounting injury crisis which intensified last night after Shkodran Mustafi was taken off midway through the second half of an FA Cup fourth round victory at Bournemouth.
Arsenal are already without their two senior left-backs, Sead Kolasinac and Kieran Tierney, which has forced Bukayo Saka to deputise in an unfamiliar role.
The teenager excelled again at the Vitality Stadium, scoring his second goal of the season and providing an assist for Eddie Nketiah, but Arteta again hinted he was finding it hard to make-do with makeshift full-backs, despite Saka’s progress.
‘It is the situation now because we don’t have any left backs at the moment,’ said Arteta in his post match press conference. ‘What I like is that he’s put his head down, it’s not his favourite position to play, but we try to adapt him with his qualities to play him as much as possible in the position that he likes.
‘But then he is very willing to learn all the defensive principals that we are asking him to do and his attitude is really good.’
Kurzawa, 27, would have offered experienced cover in an important area and, according to Paris United, it had been Edu driving a move for the France international, before Arteta’s intervention.
Arsenal are still hopeful of signing a new centre-back this month and remain keen on Flamengo’s Pablo Mari, despite the Spaniard having returned to Brazil after the player arrived in England on Saturday.
According to reports in Ukraine, meanwhile, a deal in principle has been agreed with Shakhtar Donetsk for 23-yea-old Mykola Matviyenko.
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