Paul Merson has expressed surprise that Mikel Arteta did not push to sign Julian Alvarez from Manchester City two years ago, given the Argentine striker is now one of Arsenal's top summer targets. Alvarez, 26, has flourished at Atletico Madrid since his £81.5million move in 2024, scoring 49 goals and providing 17 assists in two seasons, attracting interest from Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona and Arsenal.
Speaking exclusively to Mirror Football on behalf of Historic Newspapers, Merson said: 'I'd go and get him tomorrow morning. He's up there with the best of the best. But my worry is Arteta didn't bring him in when he left Manchester City, I found that strange. If they get him in, they'll win it again next season.'
Alvarez was a known quantity during his City days, winning two Premier League titles and the Treble under Pep Guardiola. However, several factors prevented Arsenal from signing him earlier. Diego Simeone's Argentine connection helped convince Alvarez to join Atletico, while the striker wanted to escape Erling Haaland's shadow. Arsenal had also spent heavily on Kai Havertz the previous summer, and City were reluctant to strengthen a direct rival after selling Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko to the Gunners.
Merson also endorsed two other Arsenal targets: Newcastle's Sandro Tonali and Bournemouth's Eli Junior Kroupi. 'I'll go and get him from Newcastle too if they want,' he said of Tonali. On Kroupi, he added: 'He's a very good prospect. He's not going to get in the team at the moment but I'm a big fan of his.'
