Arsenal decided against making a formal approach for Red Bull Salzburg attacking midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai because they felt he wouldn’t have had an “immediate impact” if he signed in January, according to The Athletic‘s David Ornstein.

The Hungarian international had a release clause of €25m (£23m), but he has decided to join RB Leipzig when the transfer window opens next month, and Ornstein says the Gunners had reservations about making a bid for the playmaker:

“Szoboszlai was a consideration. There’s no guarantee you’re going to sign that player, he might have always wanted to go to Leipzig where he’s ended up. Arsenal had several technical reservations, not massive criticisms, but he’s a young player who has been playing in Austria and would have taken time to develop. He wouldn’t have been ready to start every match for Arsenal if he’d come in in January and he would have taken time. Arsenal will be looking for an immediate impact from the market.”

Ornstein goes on to say technical director Edu has his eye on other attacking midfielders who could come in and make their mark straight away. From reports elsewhere, it is thought those players are likely to be Real Madrid’s Isco, Inter Milan’s Christian Eriksen and Lyon’s Houssem Aouar.

The decision on Szoboszlai does sum up the muddled thinking in Arsenal’s recruitment strategy. There has been a lot of talk of Arteta building for the future and sacrificing results in the short term, but the decision not to sign the Hungarian seems to suggest they are very much not looking at the big picture.