Arsenal’s summer transfer window very much centred around trying and then failing to land a top left-sided winger.
With both Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard allowed to depart, as well as Gabriel Jesus sealing a move to Barcelona, Mikel Arteta saw his attacking options depleted. In the end, no replacement was signed and with the only player brought in on that side – Christos Tzolis – currently injured, things are looking tough for the Gunners right now.
However, while Arsenal fans might be lamenting the lack of a top signing on the left this summer, one target the club missed out on has just shown the Gunners might have got lucky.
Bradley Barcola’s performance v Man City shows Arsenal might have got lucky
When Liverpool paid over £120m to sign Bradley Barcola this summer, there was a feeling among Arsenal fans that this was one who’d got away from them.
After impressing so much in the World Cup, Barcola was linked with the Gunners, with Jamie Carragher claiming he’d be perfect for the Gunners.
However, for those who have just witnessed Barcola’s performance at Anfield today, it might have been an expensive mistake well avoided.
Barcola put in what was a stinking performance for the Reds in all honesty. He rarely even attempted to take on Man City full-backs Nico O’Reilly or Matheus Nunes, and when he did, he did little with it.
Indeed, the stats show that Barcola failed to complete a single successful dribble where he beat a man, while he only managed 15 passes – a team low – in the entire game. Barcola looked low on confidence, lacked any sort of conviction in his play, and ultimately, looked way off the pace for what a Premier League winger needs.
Contrast his performance with that of Jeremy Doku and Antoine Semenyo for Man City, and you get an instant idea of what’s actually required.
Thankfully, it looks like Arsenal have very much avoided paying a huge sum for a player who is clearly not ready to produce consistently at Premier League level.