£190m star is now even better than Barcola after leaving Arsenal 17 years ago

If Arsenal are to strengthen their attacking positions this summer, it will cost them an arm and a leg.

The market has been oblisterated and torn to smithereens by Elliot Anderson’s £116m move to Manchester City. Aston Villa value the Gunners’ top target at £130m. They view him as a better player than Anderson.

Fair enough, right? Rogers ended 2025/26 with a Europa League winner’s medal and Champions League qualification having scored 14 goals and supplied 12 assists.

Aged 23, he is one of England’s best young players and would be a cracking signing for any team. Arsenal have held positive discussions on the player side but Villa are digging their heels in and do not want to sell.

As a result, Andrea Berta and Co have cast their net in the direction of PSG’s Bradley Barcola.

Why Arsenal want to sign Bradley Barcola

Arsenal simply have to sign a winger this summer. While there were not many things wrong with their title-winning side, they did lack genuine quality on the flanks, primarily on the left.

While Leandro Trossard has always been Mr Clutch in Arsenal colours, notably scoring that vital winner away at West Ham, his displays are lacking consistency now. The Belgian has only scored once for the Gunners in 2026 so far.

As for Gabriel Martinelli, his performences were also rather topsy-turvy last season. As he held the Premier League trophy aloft just over a month ago, he did so having only scored once in the league all campaign.

Consequently, the arrival of someone like Barcola could take Arsenal to the next level. Reportedly keen on heading to the Emirates if he leaves Paris this summer, he is viewed as “one of the best wingers in the world” by Como scout Ben Mattinson. Why? Well, the Frenchman is totally electric and has proven as much during the ongoing World Cup in North America.

Part of the most menacing forward line in the competition, one that contains Kylian Mbappe, Desire Doue, Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembele, Didier Deschamp’s side have been fabulous.

Mbappe has been the main reason for that but Barcola has caught the eye too, scoring twice. He was particularly effervescent during their 3-0 win over Sweden on Tuesday evening, taking three shots and attempting as many as seven dribbles.

The scorer of 21 goals and supplier of 21 assists in 2024/25, the Frenchman is simply mesmerising and even if his numbers took a dip last term – bagging 13 times and assisting seven – he is still one of the most dangerous forwards in European football.

Still, is he as good as Olise? Not quite. There’s a story to tell here too. He once played for Arsenal.

What happened to Michael Olise at Arsenal?

The year is 2009 and a young boy by the name of Michael Olise is playing for the Arsenal academy. Born in Hammersmith to a British-Nigerian father and French-Algerian mother, if things had been different the wide man would now be sporting Arsenal red and white and playing for England.

However, his story was not that simple, going via Chelsea, Reading, Crystal Palace and then ending up at Bayern Munich where he now plays today.

So, why did he leave Arsenal? What happened?

Recalling the events of Olise’s childhood, former Chelsea coach Sean Conlon stated in an interview back in 2022: “Michael was also training with Arsenal at the time because before you move into the U9s, you’re allowed to train with multiple teams. But he lived closer to Chelsea and they obviously have a great academy so he ended up signing for them instead.”

How those working in the academy must be full of regret at that moment and not the first time either. Harry Kane was once on Arsenal’s books too.

Now, however, they are both starring in Munich. Kane has even described the 24-year-old as “the best winger in the world”. It is incredibly hard to dispute that claim. In some circles he’s being valued as highly as £190m and the numbers tell you why.

Last season, the France international scored 22 goals and supplied 31 assists for his teammates. It was a staggering return. He’s now delivering at the World Cup too, registering five assists, the most of any player at the tournament.

Compared with Barcola, who is no slouch either we might add, he is streets ahead.

While there might not be a lot to separate them as far as goalscoring is concerned, when it comes to chance creation and carrying the ball, Olise is just on a totally different planet to anyone.

He ranks among the finest 2% of wingers in Europe’s top five leagues for non-penalty goals per 90 minutes, as well as the best 2% for progressive carries and the top 1% for forward passes. This is one of the most direct players in the world right now. He is one of the best around, period.

Can you imagine if Arsenal had him in their ranks? Their chances of winning the Champions League would soar to new heights. It’s a pity they had to lose him from their academy.