Arsenal made an approach to sign Dynamo Moscow forward Aleksandr Kokorin on loan during the summer, but manager Andrey Kobelev was among those who turned it down as he believes the player "deserves better."
The 24-year-old, who scored his ninth international goal for Russia on Thursday, played his entire professional career in Khimki, but could have been plying his trade in the English capital if the north London club had offered a permanent deal instead.
"I was among those who vetoed this deal," Kobelev told Sovetsky Sport, according to ESPN FC. "We think that a loan move to Arsenal is a wrong option for Kokorin. He deserves better. Everyone is laughing, but he has a great potential, and the best coaches in the world see it."
If Kokorin left in a temporary move, there is a chance Arsene Wenger could have not exercised the same patience he does with a player they actually own. It could have been harmful to Kokorin's development.
"The point is that if a club pays good money for you, you are given time for adaptation. If a club invests a small sum, he can be benched after a couple of games and returned to his mother club," Kobelev said.
"For example, if (Gareth) Bale was loaned to Real Madrid he wouldn't have become the Bale he is now, because it took him time to fit into the system. Kokorin deserves to play at a decent club, and he has to move there as a fully developed player who can deliver results."
Kokorin's agent, Kirill Loginov, insisted his client wasn't disappointed that a move to the Premier League failed to happen.
"Aleksandr has chances to play (at a big club) if everything will be okay, and it doesn't have to be Arsenal," Loginov told sports.ru, translated by ESPN FC.
"Dynamo refused to let him go to Arsenal, but that doesn't mean that he was desperate to go there. I don't remember them winning any titles, apart from the FA Cup, so... I don't know (how attractive they are).
"There was an offer, it was reviewed and refused. The decision was absolutely right. There were some quite disrespectful parts in that offer. He has very good relations with the Dynamo coaching staff and management, and naturally was updated about everything."
