Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is keen to sign Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior in one of the biggest transfers in Premier League history, a deal that would resolve the biggest imbalance in the Gunners' attack.
Arsenal relied heavily on their right flank last season, leaning on Bukayo Saka to create chances and falling back on set pieces when that did not work. On the left, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli worked hard but produced little end product.
Arsenal still won the Premier League title, but Arteta wants his side to go further and win the Champions League for the first time in the club's 140-year history.
Vinicius Jr's attacking numbers
Vinicius Jr is regarded as one of the most dangerous ball carriers in football, ranked among the Big Five Leagues' elite dribblers alongside Barcelona forward and World Cup winner Lamine Yamal. No player created more chances after carrying the ball five metres or more across the Big Five Leagues last season than Vinicius Jr, and his 49 shots taken himself after such carries were just one behind Yamal's tally.
Across all competitions in 2025-26, Vinicius Jr made 53 appearances, scoring 22 goals and providing 14 assists for a combined total of 36. That put him well clear of Arsenal's own attackers: Saka managed 20 goal involvements in 49 games, Trossard 19 in 50, Martinelli 18 in 53 and Noni Madueke 12 in 43. Trossard and Martinelli combined for just 19 shot-ending carries and 18 chance-ending ones between them last season.
Doubts over fit with Arteta's system
Despite the numbers, questions remain over whether Vinicius Jr suits Arteta's approach. Spanish outlet AS reported that Arteta, in trying to persuade the Brazilian to move to north London, has promised to build the team around him, which would go against the pressing, collective approach that has driven Arsenal's success.
Daily Mail Sport's analysis of Arteta's earlier pursuit of Morgan Rogers, before Chelsea signed the Aston Villa forward for £117million, showed how highly Arteta values defensive work from his attackers. Rogers ranked joint-third for shot-ending carries in the league last season and was second only to Saka for winning possession in the final third. Martinelli, despite modest goal and assist numbers, averaged more ball recoveries in the final third than any other player with more than 500 league minutes.
Vinicius Jr's reputation at Real Madrid
Arteta wants his forwards to work as hard without the ball as with it, something rarely demanded of Vinicius Jr at Real Madrid, where he has often been allowed to conserve his energy for counter-attacks. His perceived lack of effort turned some Real Madrid fans against him last season. "Work rate zero, tantrums 100" was one verdict after a home defeat to Getafe in which he gestured to the Bernabeu crowd rather than tracking back.
Vinicius Jr returned to Real Madrid for pre-season training on 3 August, the day the report on Arsenal's interest was published.
Defensive numbers better than expected
Vinicius Jr won possession far less often than Saka, Martinelli or Trossard last season, and roughly half as often in the final third as his compatriot Martinelli. In league games in 2025-26, Vinicius Jr averaged 2.8 possessions won per game compared with Saka's 4.7 and Martinelli's 4.4, and 0.7 won in the final third against Martinelli's 1.3.
His figures are stronger elsewhere, though. He averaged 6.3 duels won per game, behind only Saka's 6.8 among Arsenal forwards, and won possession high up the pitch about as often as Madueke, whose figure was 2.6. His numbers also bettered those of Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres, who averaged 2.2 possessions won, 0.8 in the final third and 3.0 duels won, and were close to those of Kai Havertz.
Could Vinicius Jr play as a central striker?
Those figures raise the possibility that Vinicius Jr could play through the middle for Arsenal, a role he has filled frequently for Real Madrid and Brazil, particularly in matches where Arteta wants to exploit space in behind. He did so for Real Madrid in the second leg of a Champions League last-16 tie against Manchester City, with Pep Guardiola's side 4-0 down on aggregate and chasing the game. Playing as a central striker, Vinicius Jr scored twice but also raced clear only to blaze a chance over the bar.
The Bruno Guimaraes factor
Arteta wants his team to play more passes to find those kinds of runs, and the possible signing of Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle United would help. But that alone would not resolve Arsenal's problems on the left. Arteta may be willing to accept that Vinicius Jr will not match the work rate of Trossard or Martinelli, calculating that his goals, assists and star quality make up for it, while his pace in behind would force opponents to keep a man back.
If Guimaraes arrives, his all-action style could allow Declan Rice, usually Arsenal's left-sided central midfielder, to take on more defensive cover once possession is lost. Myles Lewis-Skelly, with the pace and positional awareness gained from playing at left-back, could also help cover the extra ground, though it might mean Arsenal's regular left-back, Riccardo Calafiori or Piero Hincapie, would have to curb their attacking overlaps.
The cost of signing Vinicius Jr
A move for Vinicius Jr would also disrupt Arsenal's carefully balanced wage structure, since a player of his stature would command a salary to match. He has scored in and won two Champions League finals for Real Madrid in the last five seasons, and scored four times in five matches at the World Cup. For Arteta, the calculation may simply be that Vinicius Jr is worth the risk, on the pitch and off it.
