Mikel Arteta must now turn to Plan B after Arsenal appeared to have secured their main transfer target Mykhailo Mudryk before Chelsea hijacked the deal by offering Shakhtar Donetsk their £88.5m asking price.
Respect must be paid to the Spaniard for refusing to cave in to the Ukrainian club’s demands, but losing the winger will be a significant blow, especially given that the Gunners were looking to strengthen their attacking options in order to give themselves the best chance of winning their first Premier League title since 2004.
Arteta, on the other hand, may have a backup plan. According to Spanish media, Arsenal has been linked with a move for Real Betis winger Luiz Henrique, though they face competition from Manchester United.
Henrique, who is the same age as Mudryk, primarily plays on the right wing but can also play on the left flank when needed (22).
He still has five years left on his current contract, so any potential move will almost certainly necessitate a large transfer fee; and with CIES Football Observatory valuing the winger at €35 million (£31 million), Arteta may need to splash the cash to sign him.
Henrique joined the La Liga club from Fluminense last summer, having scored 27 goals in 118 games for the Brazilian giants, and he has settled in well at Betis.
This season, the 22-year-old has been particularly impressive in the Europa League, scoring two goals and setting up another two in six games while making one key pass and averaging 2.3 shots per game, demonstrating that he is an effective threat from wide (Sofascore).
The Brazilian saved his best performance for the Supercopa de Espana visit to Barcelona last week. He had a Sofascore rating of 7.9/10, making him Betis’ second-best performer in the tie, which ended in a penalty shootout victory for the Catalan club.
