Funny how quickly things can change in football, isn’t it? A week ago, Arsenal had just learned that their top scorer, Morgan Rogers, was signing for Chelsea instead.
The Blues have agreed a massive £117m deal to sign the English coach, which the Gunners were not keen on. They had their own player rating.
Since then there has been panic among fans, even though they announced the signing of Christos Tzolis during the week. You are looking for a useful supplement but they need more. How does Vinicius Junior sound?
The news emerged on Saturday afternoon that in the midst of missing out on Rogers, Andrea Berta and Co are exploring a deal to sign Vini from Real Madrid.
He has a year left on his contract in the Spanish capital and they don’t want him to leave for free. As a result, there is a real chance that Brazil will leave the Bernabeu.
Why Arsenal want to sign Vinicius Junior
After the Champions League final, Mikel Arteta issued an invitation to seek more ambition. So, when they missed out on Rogers, their key target, he wouldn’t be too happy.
However, we did not know that the Gunners would be in talks to sign Vinicius Junior. A few years ago Jude Bellingham was described as “the best in the world” and came second in the race to Rodri for the Ballon d’Or.
Since then, the Brazilian giant’s stock has fallen slightly but he is still widely regarded as one of the biggest stars in the game. He showed a lot during the World Cup when he scored four goals in five games The Selecao.
Arsenal need to make high-profile additions to their forward line this summer and they need something to raise the roof. Leandro Trossard has left Besiktas, Gabriel Martinelli scored just once in the Premier League last season and it remains to be seen how good Tzolis will be in Arsenal colours.
He signed up for the friendly behind closed doors against MK Dons on Saturday, a game they won 3-0, but did not feature at the top level. Vinicius Junior is the opposite.
The 26-year-old is one of the most dangerous players in the world and has scored more than 20 goals in his last five seasons at Madrid. He also produced more than ten assists in all but one of those campaigns. He is a game changer, one of the greatest players in world football.
Signing him would be a rare move, but could there be a better signing out there? It’s probably possible.
Vinicius Junior’s Arsenal dream is different
In their bid to strengthen their forward line, Arsenal have marked a host of attacking players from Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Kroupi to Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez.
The latter has been described as a “dream target” this summer and could be controversial if they manage to beat Barcelona and Real Madrid to his signature.
If they could get their hands on him and Vinicius Junior, it would be jaw-dropping. It could be an unprecedented transfer window for the Gunners.
Also on their radar, according to TEAMtalk, is Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise. He attracted a number of English clubs, especially Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United. For now, however, his choice will be a move to LaLiga where Real have already made it clear they would like to sign him. Maybe he can replace Madrid’s Vinicius Junior?
However, how do they compare? After all, last year, it was Olise who came out on top. In the words of his Bayern teammate Harry Kane, he is “the best player in the world” at the moment. He’s more electric, more productive than Vini Jr and that’s saying something.
|
Olise vs Vini Jr in 2025/26 |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Statistics (* = for 90 leagues only) |
Olise |
Vini Jr |
|
Goals |
22 |
22 |
|
It helps |
26 |
10 |
|
Shots * |
3.92 |
3.22 |
|
High probability involvement* |
1.67 |
0.70 |
|
Open expected game resources * |
0.60 |
0.18 |
|
Successful dribbles * |
2.52 |
2.77 |
|
Continuous actions * |
12.93 |
11.60 |
|
Continuous carriers * |
6.53 |
8.25 |
|
Continuous passes * |
6.41 |
3.35 |
|
Combat attack * |
1.52 |
0.77 |
|
Football recovery * |
4.22 |
3.31 |
In the Brazilian, you will find a player of great effect, someone who ranks as one of the best shooters and ball handlers in world football. He is absolutely dangerous for defenders to tackle.
Care is considered continuous if the ball is moved towards a player’s goal at least 10 yards from its starting point or into the penalty area.
However, Olise is even more terrifying. He may not carry the ball as often as Vini but he is at his best in that department, lining up close to making effective dribbles per 90 minutes.
In every other metric that matters to a wide player, the Frenchman is a better player based on the last year of football. The rate at which he provides scoring opportunities to his teammates is simply mind-boggling. He was able to assist 26 people last quarter.
In addition, he will also give you more protection than Vinicius Junior. The only negatives about the Madrid star would be his work rate. Olise, on the other hand, returns a lot of balls, as well as tackles and blocks.
Based on that, he would be the perfect player for Arteta. He is cut in the same outfit as Bukayo Saka and as he showed during the World Cup, he could work as a number 10 behind the striker. In that, he is more flexible than Vini.
That being said, if Arsenal could get their hands on either team it would be incredible.
