Arsenal have had a dramatic transfer window already, but it appears things could have been even more surprising for the north Londoners
Jamie Carragher, Gary Neville and Ian Wright speaking on Sky Sports at the Emirates Stadium
An interesting revelation was made on Sky Sports(Image: X/Sky Sports PL)
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Ian Wright claimed he has "proof" Vinicius Junior was going to join Arsenal, while speaking on Sky Sports. The Gunners' highly-publicised transfer pursuit of the Real Madrid ace ended in failure.
Vini Jr signed a new six-year contract to remain at the Bernabeu, to the disappointment of Arsenal supporters. At the time, he was the second high-profile attacker to turn them down after Morgan Rogers opted to join Chelsea instead.
They are now fully focussed on signing Julian Alvarez, who is being pursued for a move to north London.
But as Wright was discussing the Gunners' transfer ambitions before their Premier League opener against Coventry City, he suggested to Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher he had evidence Vinicius had agreed to become an Arsenal star.
Neville posed a pointed question about Vinicius to Wright during Sky Sports' pre-match build-up, asking: "Who are they bringing in?" Wright responded: "This is what I am saying.
"They were talking about... I don't know if Alvarez is coming. Obviously, theY went for Vini, I know that was happening, people laughed at me. You two laughed."
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When Carragher retorted: "That was never happening". Wright shot back: "At some stage, I'll show you, I'll show you the proof."
Wright stopped short of revealing the exact nature of his evidence regarding Vinicius potentially joining Arsenal this summer.
Instead, the Brazilian forward committed his future to Real Madrid with a fresh six-year contract rather than making the switch to north London.
Vinicius Junior of Real Madrid CF trains with his teammates during a training session ahead of their opening LaLiga EA Sports match against RCD Espanyol de Barcelona at Ciudad Real Madrid in Madrid, Spain, on August 21, 2026. (Photo by Alberto Gardin/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Vinicius Jr opted to stay at Real Madrid in the end(Image: NurPhoto, NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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The Gunners have since turned their attention to Alvarez, though that pursuit is proving equally protracted. Atletico Madrid left him out of their La Liga curtain-raiser against Malaga, with Diego Simeone stating the World Cup winner was not in the right frame of mind to compete.
After Wright shared his transfer "proof" with Carragher and Neville, he went on to say: "That's where we're going. I don't think we need to change the way we are playing, I just think we need to bring in that calibre of player to force it home."
MAJADAHONDA, SPAIN - AUGUST 12: Julian Alvarez during the training day of Atletico de Madrid at Ciudad Deportiva Wanda Atletico de Madrid on August 12, 2026, in Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain. (Photo By Dennis Agyeman/Europa Press via Getty Images)
Alvarez is next on Arsenal's transfer list(Image: Europa Press Sports, Europa Press via Getty Images)
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One fresh face already generating excitement amongst Arsenal supporters is Greek winger Christos Tzolis. His signing from Club Brugge flew somewhat under the radar, coinciding with Arsenal's pursuit of Vinicius and Rogers.
He made a huge statement with his performance in the 3-0 Community Shield victory over Manchester City, contributing two assists in an impressive display in Cardiff.
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