The Gunners pushed hard to add a new midfielder to their ranks on Thursday.
Mikel Arteta insisted Arsenal have done a good job of avoiding a panic signing on the transfer deadline day.
The Gunners made two official bids for Douglas Luiz on the final day of the summer transfer window. The negotiations dragged until evening, but Villa refused to sell their star midfielder.
Arsenal avoided searching for a new option despite their low squad depth in midfield. Arteta admits his side were looking to bolster their squad on Thursday.
“Yesterday we could have done something if it was the right player, the right deal, and something we could afford,” the Spaniard said ahead of his side’s match against Manchester United.
“Sometimes you have to react to something that happens, we would have done that, it was a real possibility yesterday. We tried but then we kept the discipline to say it had to be the right player for the team and the club.
“We have done a lot of things and still have a lot to do in this squad.
You see the amount of departures compared to the players we have recruited. The club has done a phenomenal job and put everything on the table to bring the profile of players we want.”
Luiz has developed himself as a key player in Villa’s midfield since his move from Manchester City in July 2019.
Last season, the Brazilian star made 34 league appearances for Villa as they finished 14th in the English top flight.
The Arsenal boss added: “We did the business pretty early, but unfortunately in the last 72 hours Thomas [Partey] got injured in the same place as last time and then Mo [Elneny] has a long-term injury and we had to react in the market.
“We tried and at the end of the day we have to bring in the players we feel are right for the team and the club, but we didn’t manage to do that.”
Be sure not to miss out on the latest news about Arsenal
Download our brand new App and follow your favorite players, clubs, and much more
