If Arsenal want to be a big club they need to prove it – signing ‘good’ players is no longer enough and a star must arrive or they’ll be left behind by their rivals, writes ISAAN KHAN
Arsenal have conquered the Premier League – but now comes the challenge which could define Mikel Arteta’s reign.
After ending their 22-year league title drought and coming within a penalty shootout of being European champions, signing ‘good’ players is no longer enough. At present, Arsenal have only added Christos Tzolis (£36million) and Illan Meslier (free transfer), while making Piero Hincapie’s loan move permanent.
Of course, they are shopping in a market reserved for only a handful of elite clubs. Their ambition isn’t to solely strengthen the squad with promising talent or dependable depth.
Instead, it’s to recruit genuine superstars capable of deciding the biggest matches and turning Arsenal from one-time champions into serial winners, the likes of Vinicius Junior and Bruno Guimaraes.
But unless they succeed in the final five weeks of the transfer window, they risk being left behind at a time when their Big Six rivals have splashed the cash in a bid to knock Arsenal off their new perch.
Chelsea have spent an eye-watering £117m on Morgan Rogers, a player who was earmarked for weeks to join Arsenal but exceeded the club’s valuation. Tottenham have paid £92.5m for Sandro Tonali, along with £85m for Mateus Fernandes and £52m on Jan Paul van Hecke, with £60m Savinho next in their sights.
Arsenal have conquered the Premier League — but now comes the challenge which could define Mikel Arteta’s reign
The only new outfielder Arsenal have signed this summer is £36m Christos Tzolis from Club Bruges
Manchester City bought Elliot Anderson for £116m, while rivals United have rebuilt their midfield with Andrey Santos (£50m) and Youri Tielemans (£35m).
The coming weeks represent crunch time, and will go some way to revealing whether Arsenal truly are ready and willing to build the dynasty Arteta craves.
It will also test the proficiencies of Andrea Berta, who had a solid window last summer, signing eight players. But now the heat is on from an insatiable fanbase.
Arsenal’s ambitions, however, are not easy to realise. The feeling inside the club is that deals for star names take time, and have been complicated by a World Cup which has caused delays.
Insiders expect the coming weeks to be very busy regarding incomings.
Arsenal are pursuing Vinicius and closely monitoring the situation around his contract, which expires next June. Real Madrid are very keen to renew the Brazilian’s deal but nothing has been decided yet.
Daily Mail Sport understands Arsenal have a few high-profile left wingers on the list in case their pursuit of Vinicius fails. Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola was one, though he is closing in on a move to Liverpool.
Arsenal know they need to go big this summer, and have been looking into a deal for Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior
Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimaraes is also on Arsenal’s list this summer
Arsenal have also looked at PSG left winger Bradley Barcola if they cannot sign Vinicius, but the Frenchman now appears destined for Liverpool
If Vinicius or a player of his ilk does join Arsenal, the club are presented with circumstances they’ve not quite navigated for some time.
Ever since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s ill-fated £350,000-a-week contract, signed after he led Arteta to his first trophy in the 2020 FA Cup final, Arsenal have been very careful with their players’ wages and signing ready-made superstars.
Arteta likes control, with the Aubameyang case study – he was stripped of the captaincy and booted out of the club halfway through the three-year contract after disciplinary issues – leaving the Spaniard wary of signing big-name players who could alter the team’s balance.
It is believed Vinicius is currently paid around £247,000 to £279,000 a week after tax. To earn that amount in the UK, the Gunners would need to pay him somewhere between £450,000 and £500,000 a week.
That would make him Arsenal’s highest-paid player by far and shatter the current wage structure. Bukayo Saka is Arsenal’s highest-paid player on £300,000 a week.
It could have ramifications in terms of other players demanding better deals. While the star power Vinicius brings is a further element to navigate.
For all the complexities, Arsenal’s hierarchy are internally aware that ambition has to be matched by action. They are no longer trying to close the gap. They are ahead, and trying to stay there. That requires attracting players who already operate at the highest level and can immediately raise the team’s ceiling.
There is also an acceptance that opportunities to sign generational talents rarely come without risk. The financial commitment and the dressing room dynamics that follow all require careful consideration.
Yet whether Arsenal land the superstar signing they desire this summer may ultimately shape how this Arteta era is remembered.
Vinicius’ wages would be significantly higher than any other Arsenal player’s, and would risk causing disharmony in the squad
The last time Arsenal handed out a mega contract to a player it all ended in tears, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s deal ripped up 18 months in
Rather than chasing the established elite clubs, Arsenal are expected to behave like one. The coming weeks will reveal whether they are prepared to do that
Winning the league proved Arsenal could reach the summit, though staying there requires a different level of ruthlessness. The Gunners have won the English title 14 times but it has been more than 90 years since they retained it – winning three in a row from 1933-35.
It demands competing financially with Europe’s biggest clubs and convincing the world’s elite players that north London is the destination to be.
That is the challenge now facing Arteta, Berta and Arsenal’s hierarchy. Rather than chasing the established elite clubs, they are expected to behave like one. The coming weeks will reveal whether Arsenal are prepared to do that.
