Dusan Vlahovic was a name that dominated the transfer headlines back in January. After establishing himself as one of the deadliest young strikers in world football, the Serbian superstar began garnering heavy interest from the Premier League, namely Arsenal.
At that time, the Gunners had let go of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who was shipped off to Barcelona after a disciplinary breach, leaving Alexandre Lacazette as the man to carry the club's goalscoring mantle. To no one's surprise, the north London giants were reportedly willing to go all out for Vlahovic in January as he was deemed the perfect striker to lead the line at the Emirates Stadium.
Unfortunately for Arteta's side, this transfer pursuit did not end well for the club as the then Fiorentina sensation opted to join Juventus, one of the biggest clubs both in Italy and in Europe. Arsenal, on the other hand, turned to Eddie Nketiah towards the final stretch of the campaign, with the young English forward performing well.
While there were conflicting reports as to whether the Gunners made an official bid for the attacker or not, their interest in Dusan was well established. As a result, his decision to snub the English side in favor of the Bianconeri came as a huge heartbreak to Arsenal fans.
But did he truly snub Arteta's crew? In the wake of the 2021/22 season, the player has made a surprising confession regarding that January transfer saga. According to Vlahovic, he was not aware of the interest from the north London giants.
"Maybe my agent knows [about Arsenal's offer] but I never talked to anyone about it," Vlahovic told the Telegraph in an exclusive interview.
Would he have moved to the Emirates Stadium had he been aware of their pursuit? Sadly for Arteta's side, the answer remains no. The striker went on to add that he had one desire and one desire only: to play for the Old Lady.
"I just had one club in my mind because Juventus is Juventus. There is nothing else to say. And now I feel honored to be given this jersey. It's incredible every time I put it on.
"I definitely identify with their DNA. The Juventus personality coincides with my personality. When you come here you never give up, you fight all the time, you make the sacrifices. This was definitely what I was looking for."
After enjoying a brilliant start to life in Turin, the Serbian's second half of the season went on to endure a rough patch. Juventus crashed out of the UEFA Champions League in the round of 16, losing 3-0 at home to Villarreal, before suffering defeat to Inter Milan in the Coppa Italia final.
The striker scored seven times in 15 appearances for the Bianconeri in Serie A, thus averaging nearly a goal every other game. While that figure would have been impressive for most players, it was somewhat underwhelming by Vlahovic's standards as the Italian top-flight star netted a whopping 17 goals in 21 outings for Fiorentina in the earlier part of the season.
As for Saka and Co., they went on to finish the season in fifth, thus missing out on UEFA Champions League football. The Europa League side remain on the hunt for a new striker and have been linked to the likes of Gabriel Jesus, Victor Osimhen, and Gianluca Scamacca, with the Manchester City ace said to be their preferred target.
