Were Arsenal right to not follow up on their enquiry for Issa Diop?

Arsenal reportedly made an enquiry for West Ham star Issa Diop earlier in the summer, but were the Gunners right not to firm up their interest?

According to Foot Mercato, cited by the Daily Star, Arsenal made an approach for the player three weeks after rivals Manchester United made a lucrative proposal for the Frenchman.

The Red Devils were looking to pay the Hammers £50 million and include either Marcos Rojo or Phil Jones in a potential deal.

However, West Ham told both United and Arsenal they would only consider a figure in the region of £80 million for the towering centre-back.

Read Arsenal verdict

Even though the Gunners are desperate for immediate defensive reinforcements ahead of the new season, deciding against paying £80 million for the Frenchman earlier in the window was definitely the right decision.

They have since brought in William Saliba for £27 million from Saint-Etienne and loaned him back to the Ligue 1 side for the upcoming season, arguably a better prospect.

Diop did impress for the Hammers last season, however, a potential big-money deal could have meant the Gunners wouldn’t have been able to bring Saliba and Dani Ceballos to the Emirates.

Nicolas Pepe and Kieran Tierney are also expected to complete moves to the club before the window shuts.

The club’s summer business would have been completely different if they pushed through a world-record move for a defender for Diop, and it looks to have been a good decision by the club.