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Arsenal may not be signing Vinicius Junior from Real Madrid this summer, but make no mistake, Mikel Arteta's side are favourites to lift the Premier League title, again, at the end of the 2026/27 season.
A smart move for Christos Tzolis has already been made, the prolific winger joining from Club Brugge in Belgium for around £35m. He effectively replaces Leandro Trossard following the Belgian's transfer to Besiktas.
However, Arsenal cannot rest there. They need to combat the Vini-related blow, with the current crop unlikely to cut the mustard without further support.
Arsenal still need to replace Gabriel MartinelliLast season, Gabriel Martinelli suffered. Sure, he finished the campaign with a gold medal around his neck, but the Brazilian winger left a lot to be desired, scoring once across 30 Premier League matches, 11 starts.
The 25-year-old has been at the Emirates for a long time, a mainstay, and duly rewarded for his lengthy efforts at the end of the 2025/26 campaign. But it's clear he's not developed into a world-class superstar, and will only feature as a member of the supporting cast, should he stick around next season.
Tzolis is a sharp forward, but is he ready, off the bat, to take a focal role for Arsenal, driving this team forward both in the Premier League and out in the Champions League, where Arteta's side came within a whisker of immortality only a few months ago.
Across the past three Premier League campaigns, Martinelli has only managed to match his tally from 2022/23. It hasn't been good enough for a while now, and Tzolis alone won't prove enough to ensure the Gunners better their efforts from last year.
Gabriel Martinelli's Premier League Career
Season
Apps
Goals + Assists
25/26
30
1 + 4
24/25
33
8 + 4
23/24
35
6 + 4
22/23
36
15 + 6
21/22
29
6 + 6
20/21
14
2 + 1
19/20
14
3 + 0
Linked with a move away this summer - Newcastle are among the sides to have shown an interest - it's clear that replacing Martinelli is a matter of priority for Arsenal this summer.
Arsenal in talks to sign Vini Jr. alternativeThere's no question that Vinicius Junior would have been the ultimate marquee signing for Arsenal this summer, but it wasn't to be, with the Brazilian forward likely using the Gunners' interest to leverage a new deal with Real Madrid.
It's time for Arteta and co to swiftly pivot, and they could do exactly that by signing Barcelona forward Ferran Torres. According to Caught Offside, Arsenal have engaged in talks with the Spain star's representatives this summer, though they are currently behind Paris Saint-Germain in the race. Barca would likely seek around £50m for his sale this summer.
Torres, who scored the winning goal for his nation in the World Cup final last month, is out of contract in one year, and while Barcelona don't want to sell, neither are they willing to lose the 26-year-old on a free transfer.
Torres hasn't always been a starter for La Blaugrana since joining them from Manchester City in a deal rising to £54m in January 2022, but he's certainly hit his high notes, having scored 16 times across only 23 starts in La Liga last year.
That's a level of clinical quality that is hard to come by. Torres has an eye for goal, and in that, he would prove an instant upgrade on Martinelli, whose pace and quality in the build-up has also waned over the past few terms, thus negating what should be a rip-roaring skillset serving the best team in the country.
Torres, moreover, has starred in the Premier League before. His time under Pep Guardiola at the Etihad was fleeting, but certainly productive. The versatile winger scored 16 goals across 43 appearances in all competitions, starting only 31 of those matches.
He won the Premier League and the League Cup in 2021/22, and his pace and dribbling ability would set him in perfect stead to replace Martinelli, whose ball-carrying regression was evidenced through his 0.7 dribbles per game last year, down from 1.6 across the 2022/23 campaign.
Torres has a wealth of experience at the highest level. He is in his nation's all-time top ten scoring charts, and he has won titles with both Man City and Barcelona. Moreover, it was his boot that sent the World Cup back to sunny Spain.
If Arsenal pull this one off, they will hit the jackpot, certainly landing a prolific new outlet in attack who would provide Arteta with a sharper tool than Martinelli has proven to be over the past couple of years.
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