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**Ex-Arsenal star Emmanuel Petit thinks his former club may have dodged a bullet when they missed out on Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr.**
The Brazilian seemed to ignore his manager Jose Mourinho after the 1-0 defeat to Real Betis last week, and Petit claims it is representative of an ego that may have caused issues if he had made the switch to the Emirates:
“I think Vinicius Junior is a really talented player, but in terms of his mentality, I am not sure he is a good fit for Arsenal. That’s just my opinion. I see so many humble players at Arsenal, so if you suddenly bring in someone completely different, it can be a problem, especially with Arteta’s style of management.”
“Look at what happened between Vinicius Junior and Jose Mourinho in the last game between Real Betis and Real Madrid. It reminded me of what happened with Xabi Alonso last season when he did not want to shake his hand.”
“Vinicius Junior receives so much criticism from the fans, the press and social media, but in those moments, he sends the wrong message. I think he was probably a bullet dodged for Arsenal in that situation. I would have loved to see a player with Vinicius Junior’s talent play for Arsenal, but with his mentality and ego, I think it would have created a really difficult situation for the club to manage.”
Arteta doesn’t suffer fools gladly
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Very early on in his reign at Arsenal, the Spaniard ostracised Matteo Guendouzi. The Frenchman was a talented young player, but he was regarded as a ‘bad apple’.
If Vinicius acted in a similar way, you wouldn’t think [**Mikel Arteta**](https://goonernews.com/blog/arsenal-news-kai-havertz-arteta-2/) would tolerate it, although it would be a more difficult situation to handle due to his profile and how much it’d cost to sign him. Reports indicated that Real would have demanded around €160m (£137m) for his services if he hadn’t signed a new contract.
With the forward staying at the Bernabeu, though, it is pointless speculating how the two would have got along.
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Arsenal still need to strengthen the left wing
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Despite actively pursuing Vinicius, the Premier League champions opted against recruiting another forward before the transfer window closed.
Christos Tzolis is the only out-and-out left winger in the squad following the departures of both Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli.
The Greek international has impressed at times, but his inconsistency has prompted debate on whether the Gunners have left themselves short in that position.