9 players Arsenal failed to sign under Edu Gaspar – & how they fared elsewhere

Raphinha rejected Arsenal and moved to Barcelona in 2022. It paid off.

Edu Gaspar spent five years as Arsenal’s sporting director and was responsible for the signings of Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard and William Saliba – but what about those he missed out on?

Between 2019 and 2024, Edu helped transform Arsenal from Europa League perennials into contenders for both the Premier League title and the Champions League.

We’ve picked out nine players who slipped through Edu’s fingers during his time at the Emirates and how they fared elsewhere.

Mykhailo Mudryk

The “Ukrainian Neymar” had been chased by the table-topping Gunners throughout the early weeks of the January transfer window.

They reportedly had three big bids knocked back by Shakhtar Donetsk, who instead did a swift deal with Chelsea. Arsenal signed Leandro Trossard instead.

While Mudryk has struggled at Stamford Bridge, Trossard has chipped in with several important goals at a third of the price of the Ukrainian. Bullet dodged.

Bernardo Silva

In 2021, Pep Guardiola admitted that Bernardo Silva was one of three players who wished to quit the Premier League champions.

“He’s our player,” Guardiola said. “Not just Bernardo, there are two or three players that want to leave but they are our players and when they bring some offer and they want to leave we are open to discuss but it depends on them.”

Arsenal immediately placed a bid for the midfielder, but were knocked back by the player himself who was concerned the Gunners weren’t at his level.

Considering Arteta’s men had just finished eighth in the Premier League, and Bernardo has remained one of the best players in the world, he was probably spot on.

Lisandro Martinez

“Arsenal came earlier for Lisandro, but it was an amount where we said, ‘Thank you very much for the offer, but we’d rather keep the player than start negotiating’,” Ajax sporting director Edwin van der Sar revealed in an interview with The Athletic.

“With United, it was a little bit different,” he continued. “Over the years we have had a few conversations: Daley Blind, Donny van de Beek. My job is making sure I make the best decisions for Ajax.”

Martinez reunited with Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford, having been signed for a £57million fee. Many pundits questioned whether the Argentinian’s diminutive frame would be an issue, but he enjoyed a terrific debut season.

Things have been more difficult since then, but the Argentina defender was part of United’s FA Cup-winning side in 2024 and remains an important part of their backline.

Raphinha

“Deco always told me that Raphinha only wanted Barcelona” Edu told Sky Sports News after the Brazilian winger joined the La Liga giants in 2022.

Leeds United might have received a bigger transfer fee had their star asset been willing to move to another Premier League club, with both Arsenal and Chelsea reportedly launching bids to sign him.

After two inconsistent seasons in Spain, Raphinha has been brilliant for Barcelona in 2024-25 with 11 goals and nine assists in 15 appearances.

Leroy Sane

Sky Germany reported that Arsenal had enquired about Sane in the spring of 2022 before their attention turned to Raphinha, and later Mudryk, before eventually landing on Leandro Trossard as a mid-season addition.

The Germany international has won three Bundesliga titles in Bavaria, but he’s yet to truly reach the heights he did working under Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.

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TRY A QUIZ: Can you name every signing Edu made as Arsenal’s sporting director?

Emiliano Buendia

After being named Championship Player of the Season for his exploits with Norwich City, Buendia reportedly became a top target for Arteta in the summer of 2021.

But Arsenal had a £30million bid rejected by the Canaries and they were also unable to convince the midfielder to push for a move to the Emirates.

The Argentina international decided to join Aston Villa instead, linking up with compatriot and former Arsenal goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, but has endured an injury-hit time at Villa Park.

Having missed out on Buendia, the Gunners instead signed Martin Odegaard on a permanent deal. Safe to say that’s worked out alright for them.

QUIZ: Can you name every player signed by Arsene Wenger at Arsenal?

Houssem Aouar

Aouar was one of Arsenal’s top targets throughout the summer transfer window after starring for Lyon during their run to the Champions League semi-finals in 2019-20.

The Gunners saw multiple offers for the 22-year-old rejected by Lyon, as the French club stood strong on their £55.5million valuation.

“I’m happy to stay at Lyon,” Aouar told TF1 in October 2020. “It’s my city, it’s my club. It gives me immense pride to represent Lyon.

“It wasn’t really Arsenal or nothing else, although at the end it was close to that. Really, a choice had to be made and I’m happy to stay here.

“I spoke about it a lot with sporting director Juninho. He shows me confidence every day and it’s a real pleasure to work with him. To stay here for another season – or more – with him, it’s a great pride.”

Arsenal signed Thomas Partey instead, who remains an important part of their midfield, whereas Aouar eventually left Lyon to spend a year at Roma before moving to Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad.

Dusan Vlahovic

Vlahovic had been Arsenal’s top target during the January transfer window in 2022 as the Gunners attempted to sign a much-needed striker to help their push for Champions League qualification.

But the Fiorentina hitman rejected Arsenal and instead agreed a €70 million move to join Juventus instead. Some reports even claimed that he refused to even reply to the offer from the Gunners.

While the Gunners have yet to find a truly prolific striker, Vlahovic has scored 49 goals in 114 Juventus appearances.

Douglas Luiz

Arsenal made three bids for Luiz in the summer 2022 transfer window, with their final offer of £25million rejected just days after the Aston Villa midfielder scored directly from a corner at the Emirates.

Luiz would stay at Villa Park for two more seasons, helping them qualify for the Champions League in 2024 with 10 goals, before moving to Juventus for a fee of €50million.

He’s thriving in Serie A, while Arteta’s alternative signings of Jorignho and Mikel Merino haven’t quite hit the spot.