Paul Merson Urges Arsenal to Sign Bradley Barcola After Trossard Exit
Paul Merson believes Arsenal are walking a tightrope on the left wing – and says Liverpool target Bradley Barcola is now a signing they “have to” make.
The Premier League champions have already moved quickly this summer, bringing in Piero Hincapie, Illan Meslier and Christos Tzolis. The spine has been strengthened. The depth looks better. But out wide, on the left, a gap has opened up.
Leandro Trossard is gone, sold to Besiktas, and Merson cannot get his head around it.
“For them to let Trossard go is not good business in my opinion – not for what you’re selling,” he told Sky Sports, underlining his disbelief that a player who featured in “all the big games” for Arsenal last season was allowed to leave for what he described as “literally nothing”.
To Merson, that decision has boxed Arsenal into a corner. They now must land a top-level left winger.
Arsenal’s big swing at Vinicius
Reports have linked Mikel Arteta’s side with an audacious move for Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior – a pursuit that underlines just how far Arsenal’s transfer ambitions have grown.
“Arsenal are looking to buy someone from Real Madrid, one of the top players. It just shows you where Arsenal are in the market,” Merson said. “It’s a big worry for all the other teams in the league, in my opinion.”
Yet he is deeply sceptical about how realistic that dream is. In his view, Vinicius is using Arsenal’s interest as leverage.
“Vinicius Junior is just looking for a new contract at Real Madrid. He’s playing Arsenal,” Merson claimed, suggesting the Brazilian’s name in the same sentence as Arsenal is as much about Madrid’s negotiating table as it is about the Emirates.
The Barcola dilemma – and Liverpool
If, as Merson expects, Vinicius stays where he is, the former Arsenal midfielder believes the club’s next move is obvious: go all-in for PSG winger Bradley Barcola – and beat Liverpool to him.
“If Arsenal don’t get Vinicius, then they have to get Bradley Barcola,” he insisted. The logic is simple. Trossard has gone. Gabriel Martinelli needs genuine competition and support. The champions cannot go into a gruelling season with that flank so thin.
“They have to get a left winger in, especially now Leandro Trossard has left. They left themselves very short in that position,” Merson said.
Liverpool’s interest only sharpens the stakes. Lose Barcola to a direct rival and Arsenal would not just miss out on a key reinforcement, they would actively strengthen a challenger.
That is why, in Merson’s eyes, the situation is so stark. Either Vinicius arrives in a blockbuster deal, or Barcola comes in as the next elite project. If neither happens?
“And if Arsenal don’t get Vinicius or Barcola, then it’s a major worry,” he warned.
Trossard sale leaves a mark
Merson keeps circling back to Trossard, because for him the Belgian’s departure is the root of the problem. A versatile, technically gifted forward who “played in all the big games” has been allowed to walk, and Merson cannot understand why more Premier League clubs were not queuing up.
“I can’t believe that half the Premier League weren’t after Trossard. He played in all the big games for Arsenal last season and he’s a brilliant footballer,” he said, drawing a sharp line between “a lot of good players” and the rarer breed of “good footballers” – a group in which he firmly places Trossard.
Arsenal have gambled that they can upgrade. The market now has to prove them right.
With the champions hunting a marquee winger, Liverpool lurking around Barcola, and Real Madrid braced for Vinicius contract talks, the next few weeks will reveal whether Arsenal’s boldness in selling Trossard was part of a masterplan – or the first misstep of a title defence.
