Arsenal 'could not afford' to sign Jonny Evans from West Bromwich Albion

KEY POINTS

Arsene Wenger admits the club did not conduct the business they wanted in the January window.
Henrik Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Eemerick Aubameyang arrived but Wenger unhappy with business.

Arsenal did not complete the signing of Jonny Evans from West Bromwich Albion during the January transfer window due to being unable to afford the Northern Ireland international.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Greek defender Konstantinos Mavropanos arrived at The Emirates Stadium last month, as Alexis Sanchez departed to Manchester United.

Baggies boss Alan Pardew has confirmed Arsenal were interested in signing the 30-year-old centre-back, but claiming the club failed to match the valuation set by the Premier League's bottom side.

The Sun reported in the twilight of the window that Arsenal had to bid over £25m to acquire Evans to supplement a defence which has 36 league goals this season - more than any for the division's top seven.

Sky Sports claimed that Arsenal made a late attempt to sign Evans on deadline day, but that their offer fell way short of West Brom's demands.

And speaking before the 1-0 Premier League defeat to Tottenham Hotspur thanks to Harry Kane's second half header, manager Arsene Wenger has confirmed that Evans was outside the club's price range.

"I said many times that we did what we wanted to do but not all that we wanted to do," Wenger told BT Sport. "He was not available for what we could afford."

West Brom's staunch stance comes amid reports from The Express and Star that ex-United defender Evans is free to leave The Hawthorns for as little as £3m if the club are relegated from the top flight this season, due to a clause in his contract.

Boss Pardew has defended the club's stance and mocked Arsenal's late offer for their prized asset.

"It wasn't for a lack of warning to the clubs like Arsenal," Pardew said, according to Goal.com. "I sat here every week saying there was no point coming in late unless it was going to knock us off our chair. It was nowhere near that.

"They got the response they were expecting with that bid. Jonny is an important, great player and part of the spine of the team."