One of the players they considered is Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi - a very good player who’s also on the list of Barcelona, someone they’re following for the summer. Arsenal were considering a move for Zubimendi, he has a release clause, but on the player’s side he was happy to stay until at least the end of the season, so Arsenal decided not to proceed in talks, because they saw that the player didn’t want to move now. He wasn’t rejecting Arsenal or anyone else, he just wanted to stay at Real Sociedad, but we can see if he’s one to keep an eye on in the summer.
On Jorginho, Arteta made the difference - he’s a big fan, he’s in love with the player’s experience, with how popular he is in the dressing room, and these factors made the difference. He was seen as the best last-minute option for the club.
The second transfer secret is about Manchester United - we know they were looking for a new right-back, and that Aaron Wan-Bissaka could have left because he had a difficult first half of the season. But then he played well in January and United decided to invest in Wout Weghorst and Marcel Sabitzer instead.
Still, United had a right-back in mind in case Wan-Bissaka was going to leave, and that right-back was Josip Juranovic - the Croatian who moved from Celtic to Union Berlin. He was their preference to come in as backup right-back, behind Diogo Dalot, who remains the owner of the right flank at the club. The United board discussed Juranovic, but they decided to keep Wan-Bissaka and so the deal collapsed and he instead decided to accept the approach from Union Berlin. Still, he was a concrete opportunity.
The third secret - we know Tottenham were linked with Nicolo Zaniolo, but I can also reveal they considered a move for Gerard Deulofeu. He’s been incredible in Serie A, and he’s been proven in the Premier League with Everton and Watford. He’s very appreciated by the Spurs board, and the deal was almost done, but the player picked up a serious injury and so he was not available any more on the market. It was a serious option for Tottenham.
These are some big secrets of the window, and I have more, possibly to be revealed later!
🚨 January transfer SECRETS, featuring surprise targets for Arsenal, Man United & Tottenham