Fresh off their first Premier League title in 22 years, Arsenal are swinging for the fences in the transfer market this summer but the Gunners have reportedly missed out on their top attacking target, with Vinicius Junior set to sign a new contract at Real Madrid.
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The Gunners look set to sign Newcastle captain Bruno Guimaraes for $100 million, and they were likely to spend just as much, if not more, for Vinicius if he couldn’t agree a new deal heading into his final season at Real Madrid. The sides had been talking since January and met once again on Wednesday, according to David Ornstein, and an agreement is in place for the 26-year-old Brazilian winger to remain in Madrid for the foreseeable future.
After missing out on Vinicius, what now for Arsenal?
Arsenal will almost certainly continue their search for the star left winger to round out Mikel Arteta’s attack. 31-year-old Leandro Trossard, who started wide left more than anyone else for Arsenal last season, left for Turkish side Besiktas earlier this summer. 25-year-old Gabriel Martinelli was most frequently used as a substitute last season (28 times). Eberechi Eze was also occasionally deployed on the left, but at 28 years old his future undoubtedly lies in central midfield.
24-year-old Greek winger Christos Tzolis has already been signed from Belgian side Club Brugge for $45 million this summer after he tallied an astounding 17 goals and 23 assists last season. He should be more of a creator than a scorer in the PL — much like Bukayo Saka on the opposite side — which leaves Arsenal still desperately seeking a consistent source of goals.
Viktor Gyokeres led last season’s champions with 14 league goals, but he played a grand total of 48 minutes in Arsenal’s final three games, including the Champions League final defeat to PSG. He will remain a useful player in the squad across multiple competitions again this season, but a $75-million leading frontman he is not.
