Arsenal have missed out on the chance to sign Vinícius Junior - but may have a perfect back-up plan in place already.
Arsenal’s highly-publicised pursuit of Vinícius Junior has ended in the manner that it was always likely to – with the Brazilian signing a new six-year contract with Real Madrid. The Gunners’ most optimistic transfer target is now out of reach.
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The odds were always against Arsenal, whose interest proved to be little more than a useful bargaining chip for Vinícius’ agent. They will now have to pivot in the direction of a different left winger as they look to fill the most glaring hole in Mikel Arteta’s squad.
Several high-profile wide forwards have been linked with a move to the Emirates over the past few months, but which will they actually make a bid for – and which should they attempt to sign before deadline day?
The wingers on Arsenal’s shortlist as Vinícius Junior dream dies
Vinícius Junior has agreed to extend his contract at Real Madrid until 2032placeholder image
Vinícius Junior has agreed to extend his contract at Real Madrid until 2032 | Getty Images
Vinícius Junior aside, the player that Arsenal have perhaps shown the most interest in over the course of the summer is PSG’s Bradley Barcola – but Liverpool are the only team to have opened negotiations thus far, and the Reds may have insurmountable advantage if a bidding war develops.
Transfer journalist Ben Jacobs reports that Barcola is already leaning towards Liverpool, who want him to play primarily on the right as a replacement for Mohamed Salah. It’s also likely to be a hugely expensive deal, which may put Arsenal off making a formal bid.
Arsenal withdrew from the race to sign Morgan Rogers once it became clear that the fee would greatly exceed their valuation, and appear no more keen to pay more than £100m for Barcola – which is likely to be the base cost, given that PSG have set a notional asking price of £145m for the France international.
RB Leipzig’s Antonio Nusa has been mentioned in dispatches as well, although the Norway winger has publicly moved to quash speculation about his future. In any case, a weak showing at the World Cup didn’t help him to make a case to elite sides, even though his Bundesliga form last season was highly impressive.
Alternatives include Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye, and a few of the more eager gossip columnists have suggested that the Gunners could make a move after talks over a transfer to the Saudi Pro League hit the rocks. The Senegalese winger seems keen to stay in the Premier League, and the Gunners may well have him somewhere on their shortlist.
All of the names mentioned above have issues attached to them, however. Barcola may be prohibitively expensive, Nusa seems to be in no hurry to move and is relatively inexperienced at the top level, and Ndiaye would likely cost north of £60m – a lot for a player with a relatively meagre 15 Premier League goals in his two years on Merseyside.
There may, however, be an alternative, a player who Arsenal have monitored for some time and who has the historic production to back up his price tag: Athletic Club’s Nico Williams.
Why Nico Williams could be precisely what Arsenal need this summer
Williams provided the assist for the World Cup-winning goal in New Jerseyplaceholder image
Williams provided the assist for the World Cup-winning goal in New Jersey | Getty Images
Williams has been linked with a move to Arsenal for at least two years, ever since an explosive 2023/24 campaign cemented both his growing reputation as a first-rate winger and his place in the Spain squad – but for now, at least, Williams has chosen to stay loyal to the club that developed him.
He emphasised that loyalty last year when he snubbed a move to Barcelona in favour of penning a new 10-year contract in Bilbao. The length of the deal may have implied that he saw himself spending the rest of his career at San Mamés, but the mandatory release clause included in the contract suggested that he still had ambitions of making a big move one day.
Most of Spain’s biggest names have intentionally prohibitive release clauses, often set at over €200m to keep potential suitors at arm’s length, but Williams’ new deal reportedly set his release fee at a relatively affordable €90m (£77m). Had he sincerely planned to stay with Athletic Club for the rest of his career, he would not have negotiated such an ordinary clause.
TEAMtalk – not the most reliable source, admittedly – allege that Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta has already made an initial enquiry about Williams’ availability, hinting that he’s back on the shortlist after being monitored for some time. It may well be the best of the options the Gunners have available to them.
Over the last two years, the 24-year-old Williams has scored exactly as many goals as Ndiaye, who would cost a similar fee – 17 in all competitions. But there is a vast gulf between the number of opportunities they create.
Where Ndiaye has mustered up three assists in the last two Premier League seasons, Williams created 11 in the same time frame, and a colossal 16 in the season before that. Williams completes more dribbles, generates more shooting opportunities and is a more efficient finisher in front of goal, at least according to the xG model. In most departments, Williams is simply that bit better.
He also has a weapon that few wingers in the world have – truly blistering acceleration of the kind which makes him untouchable for many full-backs. Williams would immediately be among the fastest forwards in England, giving Arsenal access to new ways to get in behind opposing defences. In short, it’s quite hard to make a case for a player like Ndiaye when Williams may be available at a similar price point.
The noticeable downside to Williams is that he’s coming off a season in which a string of minor injuries, including the persistent groin condition pubalgia, disrupted his consistency and progress both in the league and at the World Cup – not that he wasn’t able to play a part in the final as Spain became champions of the world, creating Ferran Torres’ extra-time winner. But he had a slow start to the campaign, and there is at least some due cause to worry about whether fitness will impact his output going forward.
It’s not yet clear that Williams is ready to leave his boyhood club, although the time will likely come eventually, but Arsenal have few better options at their disposal. He’s a player who can torment defences and create goals out of thin air. If they are indeed making enquiries, then they’re moving in a sensible direction.