£100m star agrees to sign with Arsenal

A year ago, Andrea Berta fought hard to strengthen Arsenal’s attack. The signing of a new centre-forward was always on the agenda, but Eberechi Eze was never expected to feature so heavily in early meetings regarding reinforcements.

They made a great early signing with Victor Gokeres, but Eze arrived after the campaign had already started. He looked set to join Spurs, but a last-minute call meant he headed to the Emirates Stadium instead.

Mikel Arteta joined Noni Madueke in the final third, as he has in the past, to ensure he had numbers at the top end of the pitch.

Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz will miss large parts of the 2024/25 season, which was key for them to reach the next level.

A year later, it’s no longer a question of depth, but adding a ceiling raiser.

£100m star agrees to sign with Arsenal this summer

Now that Arsenal have strengthened their defense, they will need to strengthen their attack power, which will ultimately help them win their first Champions League title.

The Gunners are hoping to win the Premier League again, but the European gong continues to elude them. Perhaps players like Julian Alvarez or Bradley Barcora can help in that regard?

Alvarez is currently the club’s ‘dream’ target this summer, but a bid for PSG star Barcola is also reportedly being considered. That said, the Gunners are unlikely to sign two big-money new forwards, even if Club Brugge’s cheaper Christos Tzoris is on the cards.

With that in mind, if Arsenal make a move for Barcola, they are likely to be ruled out of the race to sign Morgan Rodgers, and vice versa.

That being said, Rodgers is definitely the No. 1 target heading into this summer. The people in London have already done a lot of work on the player side and it is thought talks between the clubs could officially start soon.

The latest information on their tracking comes from a trusted club official: Arsenal. They reported on social media that Arsenal would “formally begin negotiations” with Villa to sign Rodgers in the coming weeks.

The Gunners have a real desire to get a deal done at a reasonable price. The £100 million that has been estimated in recent weeks is unlikely to be reasonable. The HOA concludes its report by noting that “personal terms are not an issue” in this transaction.

That is backed up by Chelsea insider Alex Goldberg. He previously reported that the Blues were interested in the player, and revealed that the player has already “agreed to join Arsenal” and will not be heading to Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea chasing the Villaman.

Why Rodgers can change the flow of games in Arsenal’s attack

It’s clear that Arsenal need to improve up front this summer.

Although PSG did not overwhelm them in the Champions League final, the whole story leading up to that match was about the difference in quality at the top end of the pitch.

Luis Enrique had at his disposal four of the best attackers in the world: Desire Doué, Juvica Kvaratscheria, Ousmane Dembele and Barcola. Arsenal, on the other hand, went into the game with half-fit Bukayo Saka, Noni Maduke, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli.

Actually, the options on the right are fine, but the left still leaves a lot to be desired. Trossard only scored one goal in 2026, but Martinelli isn’t much better. The Brazilian scored 11 goals in all competitions during the 2025/26 season, but only one of those came in the Premier League.

On top of that, they recorded just 18 assists between them. Trossard had 11 points and Martinelli had seven points. The criticism of Gokeres is understandable, but given the performance of Arsenal’s two left-wingers, it’s no wonder he struggles at times.

Rodgers has flourished as an attacking midfielder in recent years and could well contribute to improving Gokeres’ fortunes. If the English player arrives this summer, he is likely to play on the left of a three-way attack.

There’s nothing wrong with him in that role. Last season, the 23-year-old played 17 games on the left wing, scoring five goals and providing four assists. Music to Arteta’s ears is that he doesn’t really care where the Villa man plays.

In an interview last season, Rodgers said, “My favorite position depends on the game.” He added: “It depends on where the space is. I want to play in the space. Wherever it is on the pitch, I want to play there.”

That should not only please the coaching staff, but Gokeres as well. We need a player with a little more aggression and directness on the left side to benefit him.

Last season, Rodgers had 14 points and 12 assists. The season before that, he scored an additional 14 goals, but also had a whopping 16 assists.

He is a player who can create something out of nothing. He is a match-winner, someone who can take several players out of the game with a powerful attack that runs down the pitch at a fast pace. He will open up even more space for Gokeres. He could end up being the man to draw attention to Arsenal’s frontline.

Regardless of whether Rodgers plays on the left or not, he often plays in the central area, so there is no doubt that the big Swede will have more space to play on the shoulders of the final player and dive into the channel, which is one of his strengths.

Gökeres did not always have the best playing relationship with Saka, but it improved significantly towards the end of the season. Against Fulham, both players scored and provided assists in a 3-0 win.

However, last summer’s high-profile arrivals haven’t actually received similar support from the left flank. Therefore, the addition of an elite forward in the form of Rodgers may be just what is needed to really make an impact at the Emirates.