Arsenal have reason to be cautious with a potential move to sign Joao Cancelo from Manchester City this summer. The Portuguese defender was allowed to leave the Etihad Stadium on a six-month loan deal to join Bayern Munich after falling out of favour under Pep Guardiola.

The Gunners poached Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko from City last summer – with both players having a huge impact on Mikel Arteta’s side. The improvement at the Emirates Stadium has been accelerated by the additions of the former City duo and it may stop Guardiola allowing players to leave his squad and reunite with Arteta in North London again.

Guardiola is said to be unwilling to contemplate having the Portugal international in the dressing room once again next season after he allegedly kicked up a fuss over his playing time following his return from last year’s World Cup. Cancelo was also believed to have complained about players being selected ahead of him and openly aired his grievances with City academy graduate Rico Lewis during the latter stages of his time at the club, according to The Athletic.

This ultimately led to City allowing him to leave the club on loan as they prepare to cash in on the Portuguese full-back this summer. Arteta has shown with how he handled Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s exit from Arsenal that he is unwilling to tolerate players that cause unrest and problems amongst the squad.

The Spaniard has previously underlined the importance of signing players with the right character as well as the required footballing ability, with the Gunners’ recent Premier League title charge being fuelled by their success in winning matches together – rather than relying on individual performers.

A move for Cancelo may be counterproductive given the culture Arteta has built at the Emirates Stadium with his signing potentially being a step back for Arsenal if the situation that saw the 28-year-old leave in January repeats itself with the Gunners.

Source: soccanews.com