It was Thomas Partey’s signing that hit all of Arsenal’s headlines on the last day of the window.
The addition of the Ghanaian international offers Mikel Arteta the valuable asset of flexibility as he seeks to continue the rapid progress shown under his leadership.
But that wasn’t the only deal struck when the international window closed on Monday night.
The Gunners have selected two players for their academy. The double signing of Joel Ideho and Nikolaj Moller was announced on Tuesday.
Both will enter the professional development phase at Arsenal’s Hale End Academy.
And it’s the Ideho acquisition that made news after the winger left Ajax just months after signing for them.
The 17-year-old did not join the Dutch giants until July, but after refusing to offer him professional terms, Arsenal switched.
Ideho, who can play on both wings, was rated highly in Amsterdam, although they wanted to see more of him before a new deal was offered.
Arsenal reportedly beat Hertha Berlin and Premier League rivals Southampton by the time they were signed. The youngster claimed his stronger plan made sure he won the race.
“Arsenal had a strong and better plan for me than the other clubs and personally I think I will develop better than the other clubs at Arsenal,” he told All Nigeria Soccer.
Mikel Artetas Gunners haven’t had a title in a while – but things could change if a remodeled Arsenal subplot set a course for success.
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Signings Willian and Gabriel Magalhaes both face Fulham but Mikel Arteta is still looking for signings. Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar and Brentford keeper David Raya are two of the names on their radar.
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And when asked who he would compare himself to, Arsenal’s new winger quoted Wilfried Zaha as long-term goal.
Ironically, the Gunners were connected to the Zaha for much of the window before signing a player based on the Crystal Palace’s talisman.
He added: “I would say my game is inspired by Wilfried Zaha from Crystal Palace because he is a creative, fast-paced player.
“My strengths would be my pace and my actions one on one.”
Ideho will now hope to impress Per Mertesacker, the Arsenal Academy manager, and become the youngest in a long line of talented young players to join Arteta’s first team squad.
(Image: Getty Images)
Joe Willock, Reiss Nelson, Eddie Nketiah and Bukayo Saka saw a significant season under the Spaniard, and Mertesacker admitted he loves giving the Arsenal boss selection problems.
“We are very interested in giving Mikel Arteta a lot of headaches, you know,” Mertesacker said earlier this year.
“He has to think, ‘What’s going on in the academy? ‘Every year there are the potential two or three players who can enter this place.
“But I know his standards, I know what he stands for, so I have to prepare the players really well so that they are ready and prepared when they step into the first-team environment.”
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