Arsenal could have landed Barcelona’s Malcom but opted out

This decision is strange from Arsenal…

Arsenal came out of the transfer window making one signing. They signed Barcelona anchor Denis Suarez as part of a loan deal until the end of the season. He will then return to Barcelona where he has an extended contract waiting for him unless of course, Arsenal pursues a move for him.

However, the Gunners could have easily landed Malcom too. According to The Mirror, they were in talks with Barcelona but decided to pull out on the last day. Of course, it’s not the end of the world, but this will come as bizarre to some fans.

Arsenal does need a winger

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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Arsenal has no senior wingers. Every player that Unai Emery chooses to play out wide, cannot actually perform there. For example, Mesut Ozil, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Alex Iwobi would much rather be playing through the centre than playing out wide.

Emery has managed to get away with it, which is a good thing. The type of system he plays doesn’t need wingers, because the fullbacks are quite high up. Sead Kolasinac, for example, has been Arsenal’s main threat in terms of creating chances going forward.

Malcom is a player who likes to stick out wide and is very disciplined in his position. That said, Arsenal could have immensely benefited from him, should Emery wished to alter his system slightly, which he has been quite fond of doing.

Malcom doesn’t have it easy at Barcelona

The Brazilian winger could have also benefited from the move. Let’s face it, he isn’t getting much luck in Spain, despite his side sitting with a smile at the top of La Liga. He has made just six league appearances since his arrival from Bordeaux, five of them coming from the bench.

He wouldn’t miss the talent either. While Barcelona are undeniably on a level above Arsenal, the Gunners do have quite the attacking talent at their disposal. Not only do they now have Denis Suarez, but they also have Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette to match.

Missing out on Malcom isn’t too much of a loss for Arsenal. After all, many argue that they should have been prioritising a move for a centre back anyway. However, I feel like the move would have improved them much more than they’ll improve with Denis Suarez.

What do you think, Arsenal fans? Would you have taken Malcom over Denis?