Arsenal closed the transfer window with strengthened defense and midfield, but could not add an attacking star as desired. Mikel Arteta's squad currently has fewer options in attack than last season.
Arsenal's summer clearly did not go completely according to plan. The London team once pursued Morgan Rogers but eventually let this player join Chelsea. Arsenal also paid attention to Vinicius Junior, but the Brazilian striker decided to continue to stick with Real Madrid. Julian Alvarez is also in sight, but does not show a desire to join Arsenal.
Even young target Jeremy Monga also slipped out of Arsenal's hands when Manchester City intervened and completed the deal with Leicester City. Kenan Yildiz of Juventus was once interested by Arsenal, but the negotiation process did not progress. Meanwhile, Bradley Barcola became a difficult target to compete with as Liverpool was willing to meet the price offered by Paris Saint-Germain.
The inability to recruit a world-class striker is even more regrettable as the "Gunners" have parted ways with Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli. Christos Tzolis is the only new recruit added to the attack, while Eberechi Eze is likely to be used more often on the left wing instead of the familiar attacking midfielder position.
Arsenal still has seven options for three positions in the attack including Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke, Max Dowman, Kai Havertz, Viktor Gyokeres, Tzolis and Eze. However, the depth of the attack may be affected if an injury occurs or Tzolis needs more time to adapt to the new environment.
Among the missed deals, Morgan Rogers is probably the case that Arsenal regrets the most. According to British media, the two sides were very close to reaching an agreement at the beginning of the transfer window. Rogers is willing to join Emirates and Arteta has also appreciated this player for many years. However, Arsenal is said to be handling it slowly in the early stages, while still pursuing Vinicius.
Arsenal valued Rogers at around 80 million pounds, but the lengthy negotiation process increased the fee. Chelsea then made an offer of up to 117 million pounds and Arsenal was given the opportunity to meet it. However, Arteta's team was not willing to spend such a large amount of money for Rogers.
Vinicius's case is also much more unlikely. Arsenal will have to break the current salary structure and pay a record transfer fee to convince Real Madrid as well as the Brazilian player. Vinicius prioritizes continuing to play in Madrid if a suitable agreement is reached.
Similarly, Julian Alvarez also does not prioritize Arsenal. The Argentine striker wants to leave Atletico Madrid to look for a new opportunity, but Barcelona is the destination he is aiming for.
However, there are also reasons for Arsenal to be cautious in the market. Improving a squad that has just experienced a successful season is not simple, especially when the number of world-class strikers in the market is not large. Arsenal must also balance finances after a large investment in the summer of 2025.
A year ago, Arsenal spent about 270 million pounds to bring in 8 players but only earned less than 10 million pounds from player sales deals. This summer, the situation has changed. Including the Martinelli deal, Arsenal earned more than 100 million pounds from player sales. Jesus came to Barcelona for 9 million pounds, Trossard joined Besiktas for 15 million pounds, and Martinelli moved to Al-Hilal for 55 million pounds.
These deals do not help Arsenal become stronger in personnel, but are necessary to reduce the salary fund and create more financial resources. Arsenal does not have the backing of a national investment fund or a multi-club model, so they must create their own capital to serve transfer operations.
