We are now a month in to the transfer window and even if the World Cup has slowed things down, it hasn’t exactly been the market of dreams so far for Arsenal supporters.
They would have expected more after winning the Premier League for the first time in 22 years but the sole addition thus far has been Illan Meslier who arrived on a free transfer after not playing a game for over a year at Leeds.
The Gunners will, of course, conclude more business but they must do so quickly with pre-season now fast approaching.
A winger is at the top of the agenda, with Bradley Barcola and Morgan Rogers the top targets. Signing them, however, will be very challenging.
What Rogers and Barcola could bring to Arsenal
It is safe to say that Arsenal simply have to sign an elite winger this summer. If it doesn’t happen, Mikel Arteta’s men may well find it a struggle to keep up with Manchester City.
Why do they need one? Well, the main problem position last term was on the left wing. Gabriel Martinelli scored once all season in the league and Leandro Trossard has only found the net on one occasion at club level in 2026. He is now due to complete a move to Besiktas too.
So, perhaps it could be two wingers who join; a natural replacement for Trossard in the squad and then a high level attacker.
In the form of Rogers or Barcola, they would certainly find the latter. The trouble is, they could both cost around £130m each. Arsenal would not sign both but the possibility of signing one of them is very much there.
In Rogers, they would be getting a Premier League proven asset, one of England’s best up and coming young players. They would be getting not just a goalscorer but a creative forward, someone with immense running power through the centre of the pitch in particular.
|
Rogers – career by season |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Season |
Goals |
Assists |
|
2022/23 |
1 |
1 |
|
2023/24 |
10 |
9 |
|
2024/25 |
14 |
16 |
|
2025/26 |
14 |
12 |
A former PFA Young Player of the Year winner, he scored 14 goals and supplied 12 assists in all competitions last term. He’s also versatile. Arsenal would likely field him off the left but the majority of his football for Aston Villa has been centrally.
Barcola can play on either flank but isn’t much of a central player. That doesn’t mean he’d be a bad signing. In fact, he probably suits Arsenal’s needs more than Rogers right now.
Like the England international though, he’s a brilliant goalscorer and creator. The Frenchman, who has been electric at the World Cup, scored 13 and supplied seven last term. In 2024/25, he was one of the wide players in the world, scoring 21 and assisting 21.
So, if Andrea Berta can complete a deal for one of them, it would be job well done. You could argue they need another winger though.
Why £34m winger must join Barcola or Rogers at Arsenal
Replacing Trossard this summer will be tricky. While his output has never been that of an elite winger, he has turned up and provided the goods in clutch moments on so many occasions. The winner away at West Ham in the closing weeks of the season was evidence of that.
Well, how about heading back to the Belgian’s homeland to find the perfect replacement? That’s precisely what they look to be doing as they push for the signing of Club Brugge forward Christos Tzolis.
Rumours emerged a month ago now linking the Gunners with a move for the Greek and it now looks as though a deal is edging closer to completion with reports of an agreement around the £35m mark emerging at the end of this week.
Fabrizio Romano issued a further update over the weekend, noting that Arsenal have been in ‘regular’ talks over a move and that the player is pushing for a transfer. “He wants Arsenal move”, noted Romano. For it to go through, it looks like the Gunners are waiting for Trossard to confirm his departure.
This deal certainly isn’t as exciting as Barcola or Rogers but it’s a move, specifically at that price, that makes lots of sense. He has been playing in the Belgium Pro League, a level below the two of them, but over the last two seasons he’s actually been in better form.
In fact, very few wingers in world football have been as prolific as Tzolis in recent years.
In 2025/26, the Greece international fired home 22 goals in 52 matches while also delivering 29 assists. The year before, the 24-year-old netted 21 times and registered 16 assists in 56 matches. It’s a far cry from his struggles at Norwich.
Yes, Tzolis does have experience of English football already but his memories are not particularly fond. He scored only three goals in 30 outings for the Canaries.
Alas, he is now a very different player, and someone with a better record than Arsenal’s marquee targets. Rogers and Barcola are impressive in their own right, though. They are elite players.
The latter scored 21 and assisted 21 back in 2024/25, while Rogers has bagged 14 goals in back to back campaigns. That said, neither have been as prolific as Tzolis.
Excellent in tight spaces and a brilliant dribbler, there is something of a Trossard-style to his play. Whether or not he will turn out to be quite as clutch as the Belgium star remains to be seen. Either way, this would be a very smart acquisition in an inflated market.
