Why £77m World Cup winner would be a better signing than Rogers for Arsenal

The story of the transfer window for Arsenal so far has been one of pain.

After winning the Premier League, they were supposed to spend a shed load of money on signing elite-level attackers but that has not materialised for a number of reasons.

Indeed, Andrea Berta has attracted criticism after missing out on Jeremie Monga and Morgan Rogers. Manchester City hijacked the move for Monga and out of nowhere, Chelsea agreed a remarkable £117m move for the latter on Saturday evening.

That one stings. Rogers was Arsenal’s number one target. Mikel Arteta really wanted him but they were ultimately not forthcoming with a bid that matched Aston Villa’s valuation.

The timeline: Why Arsenal missed out on Morgan Rogers

Just whether Arsenal come to regret not matching Chelsea’s £117m bid for Rogers remains to be seen but however frustrating the situation may be for supporters to understand, you do have to respect Berta and the Kroenkes for not getting sucked into the over inflated fees of today’s market.

That said, if they are to strengthen the squad in a meaningful way, they may have to get involved sooner rather than later.

For Arteta and the recruitment team, missing out on Rogers is definitely blow, and it will hurt even more when you see the timeline of a move.

Indeed, reports in recent days have made it clear that the England international could have been signed for a fee between £80m and £90m in June.

Arsenal had been in discussions with the player’s camp. Josh Kroenke had spoken to them. Arteta even had a personal phone call with the player.

Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice were enlisted during the World Cup to make a pitch to Rogers in a bid to get him to move to the Emirates.

The player was open to signing, personal terms were close to being agreed. That side of things were no problem. However, then came the transfer of Elliot Anderson to Manchester City for £116m on 2nd July.

That moment changed everything, not just for Arsenal but for others too. Tottenham ended up paying £85m for Mateus Fernandes and £100m for Sandro Tonali. The market has been decimated.

Consequently, Villa changed their valuation of Rogers. The £117m fee is no coincidence. They wanted to receive a package worth more than Anderson and when Chelsea came calling, they received just what they wanted. Arsenal were told to match it but refused.

That price tag is an astronomical amount for a player with 14 goals last season and however much he’d have improved Arteta’s attack, they will have to look elsewhere.

Why Arsenal could sign £77m winger after Morgan Rogers blow

Having missed out on Rogers, it is back to the drawing board for Berta and Co. They have a number of other targets including strikers Julian Alvarez and Eli Junior Kroupi.

On the flanks, the likes of Yan Diomande at RB Leipzig and Bradley Barcola of PSG have both been explored. Flashy and direct wingers, they represent excellent alternatives.

Another option is Athletic Club’s Nico Williams. The Spain star has been on Arsenal’s radar stretching back to 2024 when they won the European Championships.

Williams has long dreamt of a move to Barcelona but they have already signed Anthony Gordon this summer. As a result, a move to Arsenal for the now World Cup winner could be on the cards.

The 24-year-old has not enjoyed his finest year. He only scored six times last term and subsequently did not start for Spain during their successful World Cup campaign.

Yet, his impact in the final, appearing as a substitute was mighty. He assisted Ferran Torres’ winning strike and very nearly helped himself to another assist when he swung the ball in for Mikel Merino who headed just wide of the target. The forward even had a goal ruled out for a foul in the build-up.

During his cameo, he made 14 sprints, attempted six dribbles and created two big chances. That summed up Williams in a nutshell and was the type of performance Arsenal seemingly needed to revive their interest in the winger.

TEAMtalk report this week that after years of exploring a move for Williams, they are now back in fresh talks with his club over a move this summer. He is said to be open to the idea of joining Arsenal if and when he leaves Bilbao behind but it will likely take a fee of £77m to prise him away from Spain.

In today’s market, that feels like a bargain, particularly for one of the most direct wingers in the world, a player who is just waiting to explode at a bigger club.

As much as Rogers would have been an impressive capture, there were some concerns regarding his profile. While the England man can play out wide, he has more regularly been used as a number 10 at Villa.

He is similar to Eberechi Eze in that regard. Perhaps that is why Arsenal ultimately ended up pulling the plug on their pursuit.

Williams, however, is an out and out winger, something that is certainly more of a priority for Arsenal this summer. They need that quick and tricky winger, an agressive runner who is capable of beating their man with ease.

Leandro Trossard has already left and while Christos Tzolis is set to sign this week, they need an elite-level wide player and Williams could be their man.

Sure, he may not be coming off the back of the most prolific campaign of all time but he did rank among the best 2% of wingers in Europe’s top five leagues last season for successful dribbles per 90. He also sat in the best 3% for progressive carries per 90.

Arsenal need a maverick akin to Bukayo Saka on the left hand side and as good as Rogers has been, he lacks that same pace and carrying ability as Williams has, as someone like the aformentioned Barcola has.

This has the potential to be a game-changing addition and a much-needed signing for Arsenal’s attack.