The 2026 transfer window did not go as planned for Premier League winners Arsenal.
This was the time to really drive home their advantage. Managerial changes had occurred at Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool while the Gunners were incredibly settled.
However, the champions missed their opportunity. Chelsea beat them to Morgan Rogers, Manchester City beat them to Iliman Ndiaye and Vinicius Junior stayed at Real Madrid.
It is the Vini Jr saga that will sting the most. Arsenal thought they had convinced one of the game’s biggest stars to move to England, but it all fell through when he penned extended terms in the Spanish capital.
Why Arsenal still have a chance of signing Vini Jr
Heading into the summer, Vini had been at the centre of a lengthy contract dispute at the Bernabeu.
The Brazilian wanted to feel more valued in Madrid and the wage he was being offered by the hierarchy was not reflective of that. Thus, with a year left on his deal, Mikel Arteta and Co looked to seize upon that.
They very nearly did. Regular meetings were held with his entourage and Arsenal were ready to offer big money to entice him to the Emirates Stadium.
Madrid, however, finally upped their offer and the winger has stayed in Spain. That’s for the time being anyway.
Indeed, for a player of his calibre and standing, this has not been a pleasant start to the new season. The 26-year-old has only scored once this term. He’s now without a goal in his last five LaLiga matches and he has been withdrawn incredibly early in the last two games.
Against Elche, the Brazilian superstar was subbed in the 68th minute and against rivals Atletico Madrid last weekend, he only lasted 54 minutes in a 2-1 loss.
|
Vini Jr in 2026/27 |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Oppo |
Goals |
Assists |
|
Espanyol (A) |
0 |
0 |
|
Sociedad (H) |
1 |
1 |
|
Malaga (H) |
0 |
1 |
|
Real Betis (A) |
0 |
0 |
|
Rayo Vallecano (H) |
0 |
1 |
|
Elche (A) |
0 |
0 |
|
Atletico (A) |
0 |
0 |
The numbers were damning. He had no shots on target, created zero chances and also completed zero crosses. This isn’t the effervescent Vini of old; it’s a Vini whom Jose Mourinho is already losing patience with.
If this level of performance continues, it may well open the doors for an exit again. After all, much of the narrative out of the Bernabeu this season is that Kylian Mbappe, Endrick, Yan Diomande, Arda Guler and Vinicius cannot all co-exist in the same squad.
Despite his recent form, this would still be an extraordinarily good signing for Arsenal if they can return to the negotiating table. However, perhaps there are other irons in the fire now.
How Arsenal could seal a better signing than Vini Jr
Heading into the January transfer window next year, it would not be a great surprise if Arsenal went out and pursued a big-money striker.
Eli Junior Kroupi at Bournemouth is a player they really admire, while admiration remains for Atletico’s Julian Alvarez.
A left winger to help out Christos Tzolis would also go down a treat. The Greek has started impressively but lacks goals. He has none of them so far despite his four assists.
So, how about killing two birds with one stone? Raphinha could be the man, although any deal is extremely unlikely.
TEAMtalk report this week that a number of clubs, including Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool, have all held talks with Barcelona at various stages this year to understand the Brazilian’s situation at the Camp Nou.
However, they have all been told the same thing. For now, Raphinha wants to stay at Barca. He is set to sign a new contract as a result.
That said, it doesn’t make him untouchable and given the off-field financial issues the Spanish side have faced in recent years, you can never rule a departure out.
In the words of his national team boss, Carlo Ancelotti, Raphinha is currently “one of the best players in the world”. His numbers over the last year have been sensational, which only makes the decision to snub him for the Ballon d’Or nominees even more peculiar.
The fact is that right now, the Brazilian is better than his fellow countryman over in Madrid. This season, Raphinha has been in jaw-dropping form. He has scored hat-tricks in consecutive games, first netting three times against Racing Club and then scoring another trio of goals versus Sevilla last weekend.
The 29-year-old has beaten the goalkeeper on 14 occasions across eight games in all competitions this season. He has been the best player in Europe by a considerable distance.
Raphinha initially arrived at Barca as a winger but he is now the leading man of the attack. Every game he has played in 2026/27 has come as the striker. Therefore, that means he could solve both of Arsenal’s biggest problems.
They need a better option off the left and they certainly need a more ruthless goalscorer at the top of their attack. Raphinha looks like he would blow both Viktor Gyokeres and Kai Havertz out of the water. It’s just a pity he may not be available anytime soon.
