It’s funny how things can change so quickly in soccer. A week ago, Arsenal just learned that their number one target Morgan Rodgers would be signing for Chelsea instead.
The Blues agreed a huge £117 million deal to sign the Englishman, but the Gunners could not match that amount. They had their own evaluations of players.
Despite announcing the signing of Christos Tzoris in midweek, panic has since begun among supporters. He seems like a useful addition, but they need more. How does Vinicius Junior sound?
On Saturday afternoon, news broke that Andrea Berta and others are looking to sign Vini from Real Madrid in Rodgers’ absence.
He has one year left on his contract with the Spanish capital and they do not want him to leave for nothing. As a result, there is a very real possibility that the Brazilian will leave the Bernabéu.
Why Arsenal want to sign Vinicius Junior
After the Champions League final, Mikel Arteta was vocal about his desire for greater ambition. So he wouldn’t have been too happy when they missed out on a key target, Rodgers.
But little did we know that the Gunners would be involved in contract negotiations with Vinicius Junior. Just a few years ago, he was described as “the best in the world” by Jude Bellingham and finished second to Rodri in the race to win the Ballon d’Or.
Since then, the great Brazilian’s stock has dropped a bit, but he is still widely regarded as one of the game’s biggest superstars. He proved his ability as well by scoring four goals in five games during the World Cup. Selecao.
Arsenal need to add elite players up front this summer and need someone to raise their ceiling. With Leandro Trossard leaving for Besiktas and Gabriel Martinelli scoring just one goal in the Premier League last season, it remains to be seen how well Tzoris will be able to perform in Arsenal colors.
He recorded an assist in Saturday’s behind-closed-doors friendly against MK Dons, a 3-0 win, but he remains unproven at elite level. Vinicius Junior is the opposite.
The 26-year-old is one of the most dangerous players in the world, scoring more than 20 goals in each of the last five seasons with Madrid. He also has 10 or more assists in all but one of those campaigns. He is a game changer and one of the most iconic players in world football.
Signing him would be absolutely great, but could there be a better deal? Quite possible.
Arsenal dream of replacing Vinicius Junior
To strengthen their frontline, Arsenal have brought in a number of attacking players, from Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Crupi to Atletico Madrid’s Julián Alvarez.
The latter is said to be this summer’s “dream goal” and it would be quite a coup d’état if he can beat Barcelona and Real Madrid to his signature.
It would be amazing if they could get him and Vinicius Jr. It will be an unprecedented transfer period for the Gunners.
According to TEAMtalk, Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise is also on their radar. He has attracted interest from a number of English clubs, particularly Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United. But for now, his preference is to move to La Liga, and Real have already made it clear they want to sign him. Perhaps he will replace Vinicius Junior at Madrid?
But how do we compare? Well, last year, Orise was at the top. In the words of his Bayern teammate Harry Kane, he is “the best winger in the world” at the moment. He’s even more impressive and productive than Vini Jr., and that’s saying something.
Orise vs Vini Jr in 2025/26 | ||
|---|---|---|
Statistics (* = 90 per league only) | Olise | Vinny Jr. |
the goal | twenty two | twenty two |
assist | 26 | 10 |
shot * | 3.92 | 3.22 |
Big chance involvement * | 1.67 | 0.70 |
Expected assists in open play * | 0.60 | 0.18 |
Successful dribbling * | 2.52 | 2.77 |
progressive action * | 12.93 | 11.60 |
progressive carry * | 6.53 | 8.25 |
Progressive path * | 6.41 | 3.35 |
Tackles and interceptions * | 1.52 | 0.77 |
Ball recovery rate * | 4.22 | 3.31 |
In Brazil, we would be getting a player of immense ability who ranks as one of the best dribblers and ball carriers in world football. He is an absolute threat for full-backs.
A carry is considered progressive if the ball moves toward the opponent’s goal at least 10 yards from the starting point or is carried into the penalty area.
But Olise is even scarier. While he may not carry the ball as often as Vini, he is still elite in that department, ranking a close second in completed dribbles per 90 minutes.
In all other important metrics for wide players, the Frenchman is the better player based on last year of football. The speed with which he creates scoring opportunities for his teammates is simply amazing. He also recorded 26 assists last season.
Additionally, he will be a better defensive player than Vinicius Jr. One of the only negative points about the Madrid superstar would be his work rate. Oliseh, on the other hand, makes far more ball recoveries as well as tackles and interceptions.
With that in mind, he would be the perfect player for Arteta. He comes from a very similar background to Bukayo Saka and could also function as a number 10 behind the striker, as he showed during the World Cup. He’s a little more versatile than Vini in that regard.
That said, it would be worth keeping an eye on if Arsenal were able to sign either winger.
