Reuters
Arsenal were pushing hard to add a marquee forward to their squad during the summer transfer window, but could get a deal over the line.
First, Morgan Rogers was strongly linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium before instead opting to join Chelsea in a £117m move from Aston Villa. The club then turned their attention to Vinicius Jr, who was into the final year of his contract at the Bernabeu and had made it clear that he was open to moving to north London if he couldn't find an agreement with the Spanish side.
However, Madrid were quickly able to get a deal done to extend his time in the capital until 2032, which brought Arsenal's interest to an end. A move for Julian Alvarez was also looked at, but he had his heart set on a move to Barcelona instead, and that didn't happen either.
Arsenal ended up with Christos Tzolis as their only attacking signing of the window, and while the Greek youngster has started the campaign well with four assists in his first eight appearances, he hasn't got the stardust the club wanted.
But while Vinicius Jr was the dream signing for the left-wing, it now appears that they may have dodged a bullet by not getting a deal over the line for the Brazil star, after fresh reports emerged over his form with Madrid so far this season.
The winger has been a regular under Jose Mourinho for Real Madrid this season, playing all seven games in La Liga and also starting their first Champions League game. He picked up one goal and registered three assists in the process, but his performance in the most recent clash against Atletico Madrid has now seen reports emerge that he could be dropped.
MARCA report that Mourinho is growing increasingly frustrated by the 26-year-old's form and behaviour on the pitch, and is now considering dropping him from his starting lineup, with Yan Diomande pushing for his place.
Any deal that would have seen Vinicius move to north London would likely have broken their transfer record, which currently sits at £105m for Declan Rice, and he would undoubtedly have become their biggest earner too. So have Arsenal dodged a bullet if those are the performances he is turning in currently?
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Fees correct prior to summer 2026
Vini Jr May Have Killed the Unity at Arsenal
REUTERS/Marcelo Del Pozo
When Vini is trusted with being the star man at a team, and has the way they play built around him, he is one of the best players on the planet. He showed that in 2024 when he led Real Madrid to the La Liga and Champions League double, and was expected to win the Ballon d'Or before being pipped to the award by Rodri.
But when he isn't the star man, as he hasn't been since the arrival of Kylian Mbappe at the Bernabeu, he could potentially cause more problems than he solves. At Arsenal, he would have been the best player, but with the way Mikel Arteta sets his team up to be solid defensively first and to play really rigid football, it may not have got the best out of Vini Jr.
With the financials of any potential deal, and the fact that Vini Jr always wanted to stay at Madrid anyway, it now feels as though Arsenal dodged a bullet in the long run by not getting this deal done.