Arsenal could look at Julian Alvarez and Vinicius Junior again when the January transfer window reopens after sporting director Andrea Berta failed to land Mikel Arteta a marquee forward this summer. The Premier League champions ended the window with five new signings worth a combined £200million, but the manager still missed out on the world class attacker he wanted.
Summer business and missed targets
Berta strengthened Arteta's side by making Piero Hincapie's deal permanent, bringing in Illan Meslier as a free agent, and signing Christos Tzolis, Bruno Guimaraes and Ezri Konsa. However, as the window closed it became clear Arsenal would not secure the top-level forward Arteta had desperately wanted, leaving the forward line looking weakened after the departures of Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard.
Arsenal fell short in their pursuit of ambitious alternatives such as Vinicius Junior and Julian Alvarez. Vinicius, who had reportedly agreed personal terms with the Gunners, signed an improved new contract offer from Real Madrid after the Spanish giants decided the Brazilian was too important to leave. Alvarez was forced to pick between staying at Atletico or joining Arsenal and opted for the former, having had his dream move to Barcelona blocked by the club.
Arteta 'unhappy' with window
Arsenal legend Ian Wright believes Arteta will be unhappy with how the transfer window unfolded, citing the failure to bring in a marquee forward and Morgan Rogers' eventual move to Chelsea as causes for frustration. Wright said on the Stick to Football podcast: "It's not a disastrous window but if I'm Mikel, I wouldn't be happy with how this window has gone simply because we've gone another window where we have not got that forward."
Wright added: "Mikel has talked about getting players to take us to that level, he did it again after Paris (Champions League final), where we didn't have that player to break them. That is the player Mikel wanted. They chased Vini until the end of the earth and left Morgan Rogers dangling."
Gary Neville argued on the show that Arsenal didn't need Rogers, but Wright insisted Arteta would have seen him as a big part of the project. The former striker added: "I think we did need Rogers. You say we have got those types of players but that is what Mikel wanted. It is a position where we need that player. Of course Saka is back, Odegaard is back, Havertz is back and playing together, but he wanted that difference-maker. He [Rogers] is the one we were linked with ages ago and he would have loved to have come, I can feel it."
January options
Rogers was widely reported to be Arteta's preferred attacking signing in the summer. However, after biding their time despite agreeing personal terms with the former Aston Villa midfielder, the market - namely Elliot Anderson's move to Manchester City - allowed Villa to demand a higher fee. Arsenal were unwilling to meet Rogers' new price-tag and he ended up completing a £117m transfer to rivals Chelsea.
The Independent reports Arsenal could look at both Alvarez and Vinicius again in January. The report claims the Gunners are likely to do business in the new year if Arteta finds himself short of attacking options again due to injuries, and that the duo's situations might have changed by then, leading them to seek a move to north London. It also states that Bournemouth's Eli Junior Kroupi will "almost certainly" be an option, with Arsenal reportedly keen to sign the forward, whose goal against Manchester City handed them the title last season, prior to his injury in pre-season.
