Unai Emery revealed at the end of the January transfer window that the Gunners tried to bring in more players other than Denis Suarez, who joined from Barcelona. The Arsenal boss however lamented that the club had no money to spend in January as it could only complete loan deals.
As a result, only Suarez arrived from Barcelona in a deal that would expire at the end of the season, though, he could make his stay permanent if both clubs reach an agreement at the end of the Spanish midfielder’s loan.
Until then, the Gunners boss would be racking his head over his transfer plans for this summer and he has been given a boost by one of the players he missed out on in January.
According to Belgium international Yannick Carrasco, he is still eager to bring an end to his lucrative time at Dalian Yifang in the Chinese Super League in favour of a return to Europe.
The 25-year-old attacking midfielder was close to joining the Gunners in January but an agreement between both clubs could not be reached as Dalian Yifang were only open to letting Carrasco go on a permanent deal.
“I would love to return to Europe. A lot of clubs were interested in me,” Carrasco, who joined the Chinese Super League club from La Liga giants, Atletico Madrid, told HLN of his future plans. “We tried to find a solution in January that would enable me to leave Dalian Yifang. But I can understand the club’s thinking. They wanted me to stay.”
And though he has no ill feelings towards his time at the Chinese Super League, it would seem losing his place in the Belgium starting line-up is the biggest motivation behind Carrasco’s desire to make a return to Europe as soon as possible. “I still feel OK in China. But I have lost my starting place in the Belgian national side,” said Carrasco.
The Belgian star has scored seven goals in 26 appearances for the Chinese club in 2018, while he scored 23 goals in 123 appearances in three seasons at Atletico Madrid.
Carrasco was also part of the Belgium squad that lost just one match on their way to getting a third place finish at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Should Arsenal go back for him or are there better transfer targets to look out for now? Let us know what you think in the comments section.