Arsenal’s answer to Bradley Barcola is lighting up the World Cup

The World Cup quarter-finals are set and they will feature plenty of Arsenal‘s star men.

Fortuantely for those of an England persuasion, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze are all still in the competition.

For Norway, the surprise package of his tournament, skipper Martin Odegaard is set to lock horns with the Three Lions while for the French, William Saliba has helped steer Le Blues into the last eight.

Speaking of France, they have undeniably been the best team in North America this summer, regardless of whether they struggled against Paraguay in the last 16 or not.

Their forward line, in particular, is sparkling. Kylian Mbappe has led the charge but has been ably helped by the likes of Michael Olise, Desire Doue, Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola.

Speaking of Barcola, he’s a player Arsenal want to sign and judging by his performances in the last three weeks, that’s hardly a surprise.

Why Arsenal want to sign Bradley Barcola

Arsenal came into the summer with one clear goal; to sign one or two new wingers. If there was one problem position in 2025/26 it was out on the flanks where their wide players struggled for much of the campaign.

Gabriel Martinelli only scored once in the Premier League all season while Leandro Trossard has netted just the one goal at club level in the whole of 2026 to date.

For Trossard, in particular, it feels like his race is run. Besiktas have agreed a £17m fee to sign the player with only personal terms now left to be arranged. A delegation of the Turkish side are flying out to the USA to sort that.

As a result, the addition of Barcola, or any other winger for that matter, needs to happen. It just so happens that the French superstar would be a remarkable replacement for the diminutive Belgian.

Why? Well, this is one of the most direct and most exciting wingers in the world right now. As PSG won the Champions League for the first time in 2024/25, Barcola netted 21 goals and registered a further 21 assists across all competitions.

He may not have been quite as on it last term but in around 1,000 fewer minutes, he still scored 13 and supplied seven assists for his teammates.

What really sets Barcola apart from his teammates is his directness. Compared to wingers in Europe’s top five leagues last season, he ranked among the finest 17% for progressive carries per 90 minutes and in the top 4% for shot-ending carries per 90. He’s such a livewire, a threat who terrifies defenders.

As it happens, Arsenal already have a rather similar player on Barcola’s opposite flank.

Arsenal already have their own Barcola at the Emirates

At the World Cup, Barcola has been one of most dangerous wingers in the whole competition. That’s no great shock when you take into account the data we’ve just supplied you with.

In France’s five games, the 23-year-old has scored twice and registered an assist courtesy of his dynamic play. He has not always been a starter but has surely nailed down a place on the left of Didier Deschamps’ side now.

He’s actually had a rather similar summer to that of Bukayo Saka. Like Barcola, the winger has not started every game. In fact, he has only started the matches against Panama and Mexico. Still, despite a worrying lingering achilles issue, he still has three assists throughout the tournament.

To put into context just how impressive that is, only two other England players have provided three assists at a single World Cup since records began in 1966; David Beckham in 2002 and Harry Kane in 2022. Saka is always part of some illustrious company.

The way in which he provided Jude Bellingham’s opener in Mexico in the early hours of Monday morning was phenomenal. It was vintage Saka, skipping beyond the full-back and standing up a cross with his weaker foot that the Real Madrid man could not miss.

In many senses, Saka is very much like Barcola. It’s precisely why it would be so exciting to see them in the same side next season.

Barcola ranks ahead for many key metrics analysed last season, notably non-penalty goals and big chance involvement.

That being said, it’s clear they share a few important responsibilities; to involve themselves in the build-up phases of play and supply their teammates.

Last term, they registered an identical rate of expected assists while not much seperated them at all as far as dribbling and progressive actions are concerned.

The fact is that these two wide players are two of the most direct wingers in European football right now. Combining them in 2026/27 is no doubt a salivating thought for Arsenal supporters.