Jamie Carragher believes Arsenal missed their chance to sign the world-class attacking player who could have taken them to another level after the transfer window closed without a major addition in that position.
The Premier League champions were interested in Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior and Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez, but neither proposed transfer was completed.
Arsenal’s only attacking signing was Christos Tzolis, who arrived from Club Brugge for £34m ($45m). The club also saw Trossard, Gabriel Jesus and Ethan Nwaneri leave, while Gabriel Martinelli continues to negotiate a move to Al-Hilal. The Saudi Arabian club’s transfer window remains open.
Carragher said Arsenal had been seeking a forward capable of having a decisive influence on matches, rather than another player at a similar level to those already in Mikel Arteta’s squad.
“They’ve got really good forwards. I like Havertz, and I think Arteta likes him too.”
The former Liverpool defender also assessed the contribution Arsenal can expect from Viktor Gyokeres, who joined the club as part of their attacking plans. Carragher said the Sweden international could provide goals, even if he had not yet established himself among the very best players in his position.
“Gyokeres has been what many expected not quite elite, but he can still score goals in specific matches. They can rely on him this season.
They need someone who can change games. They tried to sign Vinicius and Alvarez those are the calibre of players they wanted.
“It’s hard for Arsenal to improve much further now because they are a very good team with a strong squad. You’re only talking about world-class players; only those types can help them improve. They tried to sign them, but couldn’t get the deals done.”
Arsenal’s pursuit of Vinicius Junior and Julian Alvarez indicates the level of player they believed was required to strengthen their attack. However, with those moves not materialising, Carragher feels the club was right not to settle for a signing who would offer only a marginal improvement.
“There’s no point in bringing in another player of the same calibre as their existing attackers. They have five or six attacking players I would rate as seven or eight out of ten. They wanted a nine or ten out of ten, but could not complete the deal.”
Carragher’s comments underline the difficulty Arsenal faced in trying to improve an already strong squad. In his view, only an elite addition would have made a significant difference, while a player of comparable quality to the club’s current forwards would not have addressed their ambitions.
The departures of Trossard, Gabriel Jesus and Nwaneri have reduced the number of attacking options available to Arteta, and Martinelli’s talks with Al-Hilal could further alter the group while that transfer window remains open. Despite those changes, Carragher’s assessment is that Arsenal’s main opportunity was to secure a genuinely world-class forward before the deadline, and that opportunity passed without a deal being completed.
