A late pivot to focus on the forward line led to an opportunistic attempt to sign Ollie Watkins and discussions over Alvaro Morata

The pursuit of Ollie Watkins was ‘not unanimous’ at Arsenal before Mikel Arteta’s ‘stance won out’ with the Aston Villa striker ‘excited’ at the prospect of joining. Arsenal were keen to bring in another attacker before the transfer deadline with the Gunners looking at a number of options before eventually make an offer for Aston Villa’s Watkins.

Arsenal remain interested in finalising a deal for Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins before the end of Transfer Deadline Day. The Gunners lodged an enquiry to sign Watkins last week, but their initial offer of €48 million (£40m) was immediately rebuffed by Unai Emery’s side.