Former England footballer Jamie Carragher has spoken about the player Arsenal should have signed, after the London club failed to recruit either Vinicius Junior from Real Madrid or Julian Alvarez from Atletico Madrid.
The Arsenal transfer strategy has come under discussion after the club pursued two high-profile forwards but was unable to bring either player to north London. Carragher, the former Liverpool defender, has now offered his view on the way the Gunners approached their business in the transfer market.
The report does not identify which player Carragher believes Arsenal should have signed. It does, however, make clear that his comments concern the club’s efforts to strengthen its attack and the decision-making involved in their pursuit of attacking talent.
Arsenal had been interested in Vinicius Junior, the Real Madrid forward, and Julian Alvarez, who plays for Atletico Madrid. Neither transfer was completed, leaving both players with their respective Spanish clubs.
Vinicius Junior remains associated with Real Madrid, while Julian Alvarez is an Atletico Madrid player. Arsenal’s inability to sign either target is the central issue in Carragher’s assessment of the club’s work in the transfer market.
The discussion comes as Arsenal have made a positive start to the new Premier League campaign. Mikel Arteta’s side opened the season with two victories, giving the team an unbeaten beginning to the competition after its first two matches.
That start provides the immediate context for Carragher’s comments. Despite Arsenal winning both of their opening Premier League games, attention has also focused on the players the club wanted to sign and the transfers that did not happen.
The Gunners’ interest in two established forwards placed Vinicius Junior and Julian Alvarez among the most prominent names connected with the club. However, the attempts to lure either player away from Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid were unsuccessful.
Carragher has therefore questioned Arsenal’s recruitment choices by identifying the player he feels should have been signed. His remarks centre on the contrast between the club’s ambitions in the transfer market and the final outcome of its attempts to secure either Vinicius Junior or Julian Alvarez.
Arsenal’s campaign has begun with two wins under Arteta, but the transfer-market debate remains part of the wider discussion around the team. Carragher’s comments add the perspective of a former England international to the question of whether the London club pursued the right player and whether it should have reached a different conclusion.
The club’s interest in Vinicius Junior and Julian Alvarez ultimately did not lead to a deal for either forward. That outcome, rather than Arsenal’s early results, forms the basis of Carragher’s assessment.