Why Arsenal are blocked in Kudus pursuit ahead of £38m West Ham transfer

Arsenal have been stunted in their hopes of buying players at the end of the window such as Mohammed Kudus as attempts to move players on have been delayed.

Why Arsenal are not signing Mohammed Kudus is a question on the minds of plenty of those following the club. There was interest in the Ghanaian international earlier in the window and according to Fabrizio Romano, the club made enquiries back in June for Kudus but nothing materialised.

"We didn’t plan for this injury so we have to assess now what the options are and the best way to get the best out of the players," Arteta said ahead of the game against Crystal Palace. "I cannot control anything that is not here.

"We are always open and we have to always be open to react if something happens, not only with an injury but with the market as well and that's what we are doing."

Yet no names have arisen as clear targets even in defence. Therefore it is not just a move for Kudus or a player in his position the Gunners are currently not moving for but also the Timber replacement.

There’s a good argument, however, that Arsenal are currently blocked from bringing players in. David Raya arrived at the club on an initial loan deal of £3million with an option to buy at £27million with consideration to the club’s compliance with Financial Fair Play rules.

However, it isn’t for financial reasons that a move for Kudus and others might be blocked but due to the squad itself. So far, Granit Xhaka, Matt Turner, Auston Trusty and Pablo Mari have been sold for more than £40million combined.

Marquinhos has left the club on loan to Nantes and Alex Runarsson has joined Cardiff City for the season too. Ainsley Maitland Niles was allowed to leave on a free and has joined Lyon.

Despite this, a huge number of players remain who are surplus to requirements and not being included in matchday squads. Nicolas Pepe, Folarin Balogun, Rob Holding, Kieran Tierney, Cedric Soares, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Nuno Tavares and Arthur Okonkwo all need to find resolutions to their future before the window closes.

Tierney could yet stay, especially if no replacement for Timber is available. Balogun is in talks with Monaco amid rumours of interest from Chelsea whilst Tavares' potential move to Nottingham Forest has collapsed as other potential pathways open up.

Yet there has been little-to-no talk of where Okonkwo, Holding and Cedric could go. This uncertainty has been an obstacle for the Gunners regarding incomings and is the primary reason why Kudus may end up elsewhere.