Midfield target rules out Arsenal move

Sporting midfielder William Carvalho has ruled out a move to Arsenal this summer, despite appearances a deal might be possible on deadline day. Carvalho:

I am under contract with Sporting and I'm a Sporting player...There is no way I can say I am going to leave. I am fine at Sporting.

Sporting had allegedly dropped their asking price significantly from its earlier levels, and there were reports earlier in the weekend that Carvalho was interested in coming to Arsenal (and had chosen us over Manchester United, among other probable suitors). But with Jorge Mendes and third party ownership involved, it looks like the red tape and other assorted behind-the-scenes crap ended up to be too much.

Or maybe the whole thing was crap all along. Who knows? It's possible this could turn around late, but if memory serves me right, usually when the player says something like this at the last minute, it's the end of the road. It could be revived again later, so look forward to these stories showing up again in November.