Paul Merson urges Arsenal to sign Barcola
Arsenal have spent the early weeks of the window tightening the spine of their title-winning squad. Piero Hincapie, Illan Meslier and Christos Tzolis are through the door, the champions moving with the confidence of a club that knows its level.
But for Paul Merson, the real test of this window is still to come – and it lives on the left wing.
“He’s playing Arsenal”
Mikel Arteta’s side want a top-tier wide forward. That much is clear. The market knows it, rival clubs know it, and, in Merson’s eyes, so does Vinicius Junior.
The Real Madrid star has been dramatically linked with a move to north London, a statement signing that would echo around Europe. Merson, though, is having none of it.
“Vinicius Junior is just looking for a new contract at Real Madrid. He’s playing Arsenal,” he told Sky Sports, cutting straight through the romance of the rumour.
For Merson, the very fact Arsenal are even in that conversation is revealing.
“This is where Arsenal are now. This is the market they’re in,” he said. “Arsenal are looking to buy someone from Real Madrid, one of the top players. It just shows you where Arsenal are in the market.
“It’s a big worry for all the other teams in the league, in my opinion.”
The message is blunt: Arsenal are shopping at the very top table. But that status brings pressure. You cannot posture in the Vinicius aisle and then walk away empty-handed.
Barcola or bust on the left
The pressure on that position has only intensified with Leandro Trossard’s departure to Besiktas. Arteta has Martinelli, but with the Belgian gone, the margin for error on the left flank has shrunk dramatically.
Merson doesn’t dress it up.
“If Arsenal don’t get Vinicius, then they have to get Bradley Barcola,” he insisted. “They have to get a left winger in, especially now Leandro Trossard has left. They left themselves very short in that position.
“And if Arsenal don’t get Vinicius or Barcola, then it’s a major worry.”
Barcola, the PSG winger, is also on Liverpool’s radar. That turns a positional need into a potential power struggle. Lose him to a direct rival and Arsenal don’t just miss out on a talent; they hand a weapon to a team trying to chase them down.
Merson’s argument is simple: Arsenal have entered the elite market, so they must act like an elite club. Identify the profile, pay the price, close the deal. Especially when the squad has already been weakened in that exact zone.
Trossard sale “not good business”
For Merson, the root of the problem is not only who Arsenal might sign, but who they have already let go.
On Trossard’s exit, his frustration is obvious.
“For them to let Trossard go is not good business in my opinion – not for what you’re selling,” he said. “He went for literally nothing. I can’t believe that half the Premier League weren’t after Trossard.”
The Belgian was trusted in big moments last season, used in key games, often the man to knit attacks together when the stakes were highest.
“He played in all the big games for Arsenal last season and he’s a brilliant footballer,” Merson added. “There are a lot of good players but not a lot of good footballers out there. He came under that second category.”
That distinction matters. In a title race decided by fine details, letting a “brilliant footballer” leave for what Merson views as a minimal fee, without a proven replacement already lined up, feels to him like an avoidable gamble.
Arsenal have shown they can dominate a window and a league. The next few weeks will reveal whether their bold reshaping of the squad leaves them stronger on the flanks – or staring at the left wing as the one gap that could cost them everything.
