Arsenal will be looking to improve their attack this summer, with Real Madrid's Rodrygo one option Mikel Arteta is considering for his squad.
It's no secret that Arsenal will be looking to sign more attackers this summer, with goals proving an issue for the Gunners at time last season. Big names have been linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium, including Viktor Gyokeres, Alexander Isak, and Benjamin Sesko, but Real Madrid's Rodrygo is arguably the biggest name of them all.
The Brazilian international was reportedly 'frustrated' under former boss Carlo Ancelotti, with the Italian boss not playing the 24-year-old in his preferred position off the left. With Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe also comfortable in that position, securing the left-wing position would always be a tough task for Rodrygo, but it appears that Arsenal are one of the clubs interested in prying the Brazilian away from Spain this summer.
Rodrygo has managed 119 goals and assists in 270 games for Real Madrid since joining from Santos in 2018, with the forward rated at £84million. So, if Arsenal were to sign Rodygo this summer, how could the Brazilian perform? Let's take a look.
Arsenal's 2025/26 season simulated with Rodrygo
To set up this simulation, we used Football Manager 2024 to move Rodrygo to Arsenal in the summer transfer window for £84million before simulating the 2025/26 season.
On Rodrygo's arrival, the Brazilian's wish was granted by Arteta, with the Gunners' boss playing the new signing on the left wing. But, with Kai Havertz, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus all struggling for goals, Rodrygo was moved to striker after only a few weeks, and the 24-year-old thrived.
Arsenal's top goalscorers from the 2025/26 season
Arsenal's top goalscorers from the 2025/26 season (Image: Football Manager 24)
At the end of the season, Rodrygo had made 48 appearances across all competitions, scoring 27 goals in that time to finish the campaign as Arsenal's top goalscorer. 20 of those goals came in the Premier League while seven came in the Champions League, with Rodrygo the first Arsenal player to hit 20+ Premier League goals since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in 2020.
At the end of the 2025/26 season, Football Manager 2024 put together an overall best Arsenal XI, based on performances, statistics, and other metrics. This is what it looked like:
Rodrygo made Arsenal's best XI in the simulation
Rodrygo made Arsenal's best XI in the simulation (Image: Football Manager 24)
Full Arsenal best XI: (4-3-3): Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Rice, Odegaard, Merino; Saka, Rodrygo, Nwaneri.
After his early position change, Rodrygo made Arsenal's best XI as a striker, being joined by Bukayo Saka and Ethan Nwaneri in the front three. Mikel Merino established himself as a starting midfielder, with the likes of Havertz, Ben White, and Gabriel Martinelli all missing out.
Arsenal were on course to smash last season's points tally, with the Gunners just two points away from it with eight games to go, but a disastrous end to the season saw Arteta's side win just one of their final eight games as they finished third in the Premier League.
Arsenal finished third in the Premier League
Arsenal finished third in the Premier League (Image: Football Manager 24)
24 wins, four draws and 10 defeats saw Arsenal end the season with 76 points, four fewer than Liverpool in second and an incredible 29 points behind winners Manchester City, with Pep Guardiola's side managing 105 points. Six of Arsenal's 10 defeats came in the last eight games of the campaign, showing just how poorly they finished the season.
Arsenal almost completed one of the greatest-ever Champions League comebacks in the simulation when the Gunners lost 5-1 in the semi-final first leg away to Barcelona, but a late Lamine Yamal strike in the second leg saw Arsenal win 4-1 at home, losing 6-5 on aggregate. There was a trophy to celebrate, though, with the Gunners beating Man United 3-1 in the Carabao Cup final to end the Gunners' wait for silverware.
Sign up for Arsenal news direct to your email inbox
Mikel Arteta and Arsenal face a crucial summer transfer window if they want to push Liverpool and Manchester City for the title next season and you can stay up to date with every breaking news story, opinion and more...
By signing up to our newsletter here, you'll make sure you receive the best Gunners content including news, rumours, articles and fan opinions - direct into your inbox and all for free!
We also want to hear from you. Create an account here in just a few moments, so you can have your say on all things Arsenal, join the debate and take part in exclusive Q&As as well.