Mikel Arteta will be left rueing Arsenal’s decision not to firm up their summer interest in one of Paris Saint-Germain’s key players who caused them big issues in the Champions League.
Arsenal were eliminated from the Champions League at the semi-final stage as they followed up their 1-0 win at the Emirates with a 2-1 win in the French capital.
Goals from Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi sealed the win for Luis Enrique’s team and to end the Gunners’ hopes of ending their five-year wait for a trophy.
On the field at the Parc Des Princes, there was one player who Arsenal were strongly linked with in the summer and who could have been bought for just £38 million.
Mikel Arteta will regret not moving for PSG’s Fabian Ruiz
Last summer, Arsenal were linked with a move for Fabian Ruiz, however, the Gunners instead opted to sign his fellow countryman Mikel Merino.
PSG were believed to have set a £38m asking price for Ruiz and were ready to let the Spaniard leave the Parc des Princes.
Arteta wanted a new midfielder and has been looking at the former Napoli man who had just played a key role in Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph.
However, a deal for the 29-year-old never materialised and Luis Enrique will be delighted it didn’t, given how important Ruiz has been for his team this year.
Ruiz netted a sensational goal against the Gunners in the second-leg as he intercepted Thomas Partey’s header before lashing the ball home past David Raya.
Fabian Ruiz showed Arsenal what they are missing with Martin Odegaard
Ruiz showed Arsenal what they are missing with Martin Odegaard, who was once again rather disappointing against PSG.
The French media were less than impressed by Odegaard’s performance as the Arsenal captain struggled to make much of an impact on the tie.
| Stat | Total |
| Minutes | 90 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Accurate passes | 25/28 (89%) |
| Duels (won) | 3 (3) |
| Clearances | 6 |
Meanwhile, Ruiz bossed the midfield battle with an 89 percent pass accuracy and won three of the three duels which he contested.
