Edu was close to signing £26m ace for Arsenal...but he joined PL rivals instead - report - originally posted on Sportslens.com
Arsenal were close to signing Emerson Royal at one point in the transfer window, according to reports from The Athletic.
Royal joined Tottenham Hotspur in the summer transfer window from Barcelona for a fee of 30m euro (£25.8m) on a five-year contract.
He made his debut against Crystal Palace on Saturday at Selhurst Park. Spurs lost 3-0 where Japhet Tanganga was shown a red card after he picked up two bookings.
The 22-year-old had a tough time in the middle and found it really difficult to make an impact on the game.
The report claims that Royal could have joined Arsenal this summer.
At one stage, the Gunners were in “advanced talks” with the Catalan giants over a possible swap deal involving Royal and Hector Bellerin.
Arsenal really admired him and considered him as a good fit for English football. Bellerin was also open to the prospect of a return to Spain. It would have suited all parties.
The Athletic claim that Edu, Arsenal’s technical director, oversaw talks with the La Liga club, but Mikel Arteta was unconvinced about the move.
Tottenham found an opening and eventually signed him on the transfer deadline day. In fact, Tottenham was the Brazilian’s preferred destination.
Arsenal then turned to Tomiyasu. Arteta was the driving force behind the club’s decision to pursue the Japan international, as he felt Tomisayu would be a perfect fit in his system.
Tomisayu made a strong debut on Saturday as Arsenal won 1-0 against Norwich City in the Premier League clash at the Emirates.
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