Umtiti addresses Arsenal rumours - why the Gunners were right not to make their move

Arsenal successfully signed two centre-backs this summer in William Saliba and David Luiz.

Highly-rated youngster Saliba joined in a deal worth £27 million before being loaned back to Saint Etienne, while Luiz joined on deadline day from Chelsea for a fee in the region of £8 million.

The Gunners were linked with numerous defenders over the summer, including Barcelona’s Samuel Umtiti.

The Frenchman was also tipped to move to Paris Saint-Germain, however, moves to England or France never materialised and the player remained at the Nou Camp.

The World Cup winner has now addressed the summer rumours regarding a move to the Emirates. Talking to Canal Football Club, cited by the Daily Express, Umtiti revealed he never came close to joining the Gunners and was confused as to how the rumours started.

Honestly, I don’t know where this rumour with Arsenal came from.

Overnight, I received messages from my friends ‘ah, so you are joining Arsenal?’ I’m not, I’m sorry but I’m staying at Barcelona.

Contacts with Arsenal? To be honest, I don’t know if they had conversations with my agent, I just told him that I didn’t care what was happening this summer and that it wasn’t even necessary to talk to me about it.

Read Arsenal verdict

We think it was right that the Gunners didn’t follow up their apparent interest in the 25-year-old. He’s been out injured for a long period of time, so a big-money move would have been a risky piece of business.

Umtiti hasn’t exactly shone when fully fit at Barcelona either. He’s now struggling to earn a starting spot under Ernesto Valverde this season, who is currently opting for Clement Lenglet and Gerard Pique at the heart of the defence.

Unai Emery will more than likely be keen on bolstering his defensive options further in January, with RB Leipzig’s Dayot Upamecano another name linked with a move to the Emirates.

Gunners fans will be hoping that they can get a deal over the line for the 20-year-old Frenchman, who is arguably a better defender than Umtiti, however, the youngster won’t come cheap.