North London rivalries don’t wait for matchdays to kick off. Sometimes they ignite right in the middle of August transfer window madness. Antonio Nusa to Arsenal could turn out to be one of the wilder transfer stories of the summer. Reports relayed by Metro indicate Arsenal have actively explored a move for the RB Leipzig winger, but Tottenham Hotspur are sitting right there in the chase too. Two bitter enemies going head-to-head for a 21-year-old winger.
Antonio Nusa to Arsenal: Why Arsenal are pushing for Nusa
His journey to this level hasn’t been a straightforward line. Far from it. Leipzig brought him in from Club Brugge back in 2024 for £19.2 million (€22.5 million). Brentford actually had a deal lined up for him that very same year before an unexpected medical complication killed the move dead. No transfer, no move. Just an awkward footnote that everyone has pretty much forgotten about by now.
He made real noise in Germany during the 2025/26 Bundesliga season. Nusa logged over 2,000 minutes across 31 appearances, yielding four goals and four assists. Those standard numbers won’t startle anyone on their own. Look deeper into the actual match data, though.
He took 61 shots with 37 hitting the target, alongside 1.45 key passes every single match. Pure trouble for full-backs. His non-penalty xG per 90 minutes reached 0.33, ranking him in the top 82nd percentile of attackers across the entire league. He’s young, direct, and raw. Transfermarkt currently values him at around €39.9 million, a steep increase on what Leipzig paid, but the club want £51m.
The Tottenham factor and the World Cup explosion
Spurs getting involved ruins any plan Arsenal had to take things slow. It changes the entire timeline. Mikel Arteta’s side can’t just quietly test the waters while taking their sweet time. Bidding wars between North London clubs push prices up and force quick decisions. Neither side want to hand their rival a major transfer victory in the same window.
What truly sent his reputation into overdrive was the World Cup in North America. Norway staged an extraordinary run, knocking out Brazil in the last 16 with Nusa causing absolute chaos on the wing. Norway eventually fell to England in the quarter-finals on 11 July, but Nusa played throughout those knockout ties. Putting in performances like that on the biggest stage on earth shifted his valuation overnight.
Read: Arsenal preparing to submit transfer offer for £70m Chelsea target
Scorzo’s take: Assessing the final hurdle
Targeting Nusa makes total sense for Arsenal, even with Spurs hanging around to spoil the party. He brings genuine width, sensational pace, and real end product. At 21, he matches their current squad build perfectly. The concern for fans is whether Arsenal act decisively or let Tottenham outmanoeuvre them in a market where they’ve often hesitated. If Arteta and Andrea Berta want this deal over the line, they can’t afford to dither.