Dusan Vlahovic emerged as an option for Arsenal in January – but history shows Mikel Arteta should think twice before making a move.
It’s no secret that the Gunners boss is looking to strengthen his attack this month to address the club’s problems at the top.
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Kai Havertz’s ruthlessness in front of goal remains questionable while the club is reeling from Gabriel Jesus’ recent cruciate ligament injury.
And with Arsenal once again in the title race, Arteta knows strengthening his squad is vital if he wants to lead the Gunners to a first championship since 2004.
The Pitch Prospect understands Juventus center forward Vlahovic is being considered by the north London outfit ahead of a potential move.
Arsenal almost secured the signing of the Serbia international in 2022, but the player opted to join Fiorentina’s Old Lady instead.
But due to bad luck and desperation, Arteta was finally able to sign the 24-year-old.
Vlahovic is Juve’s top scorer with 12 goals in all competitions this season, but with the player showing no signs of extending his stay in Turin beyond 2026, Juve could look to part ways with him.
But Arsenal should be wary of bringing him in as he has had little success in transfer deals from Serie A in recent years.
While the club’s three biggest legends, Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Vieira, all arrived from Italy, many others ultimately failed to make an impression.
From injury nightmares to struggling to cope with the intensity of the English top flight, many Gooners are right to have concerns about another transfer from Italy.
Here The Pitch Prospect.com lists Arsenal’s last five Serie A signings, which should give Arteta food for thought.
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Stephan Lichtsteiner
The experienced right-back – then 34 – was brought to the Emirates on a free transfer by Unai Emery in 2018 after his contract with Juventus expired.
He was the first signing of the post-Arsene Wenger era but found it difficult to make an impact in north London.
The Swiss defender was brought in to support Hector Bellerin and help establish a winning mentality in the team.
Poor performances away at Brighton and at home against Cardiff meant many fans began to turn against the seven-time Serie A winners.
He eventually left Arsenal after just one season, having made 23 appearances in all competitions – 14 of which came in the Premier League.
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Lucas Torreira
The Uruguayan defensive midfielder moved to Arsenal from Sampdoria in a £22million deal in 2018 after a standout performance at the World Cup in Russia.
He quickly became a fan favorite and earned widespread recognition from fans and pundits for his tenacity and ball-playing ability.
A goal against arch-rivals Tottenham in a famous 4-2 win only further endeared him to the Arsenal faithful, before he scored the winning goal against Huddersfield the following week with a throw-back.
But his form deteriorated drastically in 2019 and he soon became a supporting player under Emery and was only used sparingly after his appointment by Arteta.
Torreira pushed for a move in 2020 and got it, joining Atletico Madrid on loan to help them become LaLiga champions before moving to Fiorentina on loan the following season.
Once tipped as a future star, Torreira finally ended his Arsenal nightmare in 2022, joining Galatasaray for a paltry £5.5million.
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Takehiro Tomiyasu
The versatile Japanese defender arrived on time in the summer of 2021 for around £16 million and became an instant hit.
Despite being a natural centre-back, he was deployed at right-back and made the position his own, only for a calf injury to sideline him for much of the second half of the season.
Injury setbacks have been a theme of the 26-year-old’s time in England so far, with the player unable to stay fit for long periods of time.
In his fourth season at Arsenal, Tomiyasu has yet to take part in more than 22 Premier League games and has not featured in more than 31 games in all competitions.
Tomiyasu missed the start of this season with a knee injury before the problem recurred during a six-minute cameo from the bench against Southampton in October.
Since his arrival, the player, who has 18 months left on his contract, has missed an incredible 78 games and many fans feel he can no longer be trusted.
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Jakub Kiwior
The Polish defender moved to Arsenal from Spezia for £22m in the 2022 winter transfer window.
However, due to the impressive partnership between William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes, the 24-year-old was never able to secure a permanent place in the starting XI.
Most of his opportunities in the Premier League first team came as a left-back, where he performed well.
Although he has appeared in 52 games over the last two years, he has only appeared in eight first division games this season – twice in the starting line-up.
His lack of regular game time has led to an increase in errors in his game, resulting in Kiwior being on the bench for the last six Premier League games.
Not only is he the third-choice centre-back, but he is now behind Myles Lewis-Skelly, Riccardo Calafiori, Jurrien Timber, Kieran Tierney and Oleksandr Zinchenko in the left-back pecking order.
And it should come as no surprise that clubs in Italy are considering bringing the player back to Serie A.
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Riccardo Calafiori
Arsenal fended off interest from Chelsea and Real Madrid and signed the highly-rated Italian from Bologna last summer in a deal worth £38m.
The 22-year-old received rave reviews at Euro 2024 and established himself as one of the most talented defenders in the world.
Just like Tomiyasu and Kiwior, Calafiori was deployed as a full-back in the partnership between Saliba and Gabriel.
A goal against Manchester City in a 2-2 draw at the Etihad seemed to be a sign of things to come, but things haven’t been smooth sailing since.
In his first six months in England, Calafiori suffered four different injuries, causing him to miss a total of 16 games.
Calafiori only appeared in 11 of Arsenal’s 21 first division games and has not played three league games in a row since October.
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