Arsenal nearly witnessed a sensational reunion as goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny revealed he was in talks for an Emirates comeback before opting instead to hang up his boots.
The former Gunners goalkeeper, who earned 84 international caps for Poland and recently parted ways with Juventus, has now confirmed that despite entering discussions with Arsenal, it ultimately wasn't the right move for him.
Opening up to Polish outlet Meczyki, Szczesny detailed: "Sentiment kicked in and I was open to talks with Arsenal out of respect for the club. But when I started them, I knew it wasn't for me. It was all about logistics.
"Something very significant would have to happen for this move to happen. The Arsenal option came up before the Juventus contract was terminated. I said, 'OK, we can talk.' But two days later I said it didn't make much sense."
It is understood that any deal for Szczesny would have been a 'last resort' despite their respect for their former player. Szczesny joined Arsenal's Hale End academy in 2006 and later made 181 appearances for the first-team before eventually moving to Juve in 2017 after loan spells with Brentford and Roma.
The Gunners were compelled to hastily arrange a late loan deal for Bournemouth goalkeeper Neto on transfer deadline day after Aaron Ramsdale finalised a permanent transfer to Southampton.
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Neto, who is familiar with Edu from the latter's tenure as Brazil's general coordinator, expressed his joy at joining Arsenal: "I'm realising a dream in my life, a dream come true, and I'm really, really happy.
"I had two dreams as a kid to play for a football team. It was my team in Brazil, where I grew up and became a professional footballer, and also Arsenal.
Edu had attempted to secure the signing of top target Joan Garcia from Espanyol and saw multiple bids turned down but the La Liga club insisted that his £25m release clause must be activated, which Arsenal were not prepared to do.
They are anticipated to renew their interest in Garcia at a future date.
