Arsenal are being heavily linked with a move for Vinicius Jr.
The Brazilian has just one year left on his contract at Real Madrid and appears to be looking for a move away. He had fallen out of favour at the club, as well as losing support from a section of fans.
While his future has been in doubt for some time, a departure does feel likely this summer. Real Madrid appear to be building for life without him, heavily linked with Yan Diomande for that left-wing role.
This would be a big move for Arsenal, financially, but also in terms of adding more quality to a title-winning squad.
Vinicius Jr analysis:
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Vinicius Jr’s playing style
Vinicius Jr has built a name for himself as one of the best wingers in world football. And it’s fully deserved. Despite the criticisms last season, Vinicius Jr finished the 2025/26 La Liga campaign as the fourth-highest goalscorer on 16 goals. One of the three players above him was teammate Kylian Mbappe, who took up most of Real Madrid’s scoring opportunities.
One of the reasons for Vinicius Jr’s goalscoring numbers is the volume of shots he takes. The Brazilian ranked fifth in La Liga for his 101 shots last season, averaging 3.22 per 90 minutes. He was still in the top 10 when per 90 is taken into account, among those with at least 1,710 minutes played. Of those 101 shots, 46 hit the target, with only two players managing more than Vinicius Jr.
It’s form he carried over to the World Cup, scoring four goals in five games, from 17 shots. His finishing was good too, turning 2.14 Expected Goals into 2.6 post-shot xG at the World Cup. So he was improving his chances of scoring based on where he was placing his shots.
Vinicius Jr isn’t just a goalscoring winger, though. He can be the creative threat Arsenal need on the left, both in terms of setting up chances and ball carrying. The Brazilian, who turned 26 in July, ranked second in La Liga for both take-ons attempted (195) and completed (87) last season. In fact, only Lamine Yamal (133) and Yan Diomande (118) completed more take-ons than Vinicius Jr across Europe’s top five leagues in 2025/26.
He also sat in the top five for his 70 chances created in La Liga, albeit with a much lower seven big chances created. Vinicius Jr did all this without taking too many set-pieces. While Arsenal are big on set-pieces, they’ll want a winger they know doesn’t only rely on dead-ball situations to create. Of Vinicius Jr’s 7.53 Expected Assists in La Liga last season, 7.38 came from open-play. He ranked second in La Liga for both metrics.
Arsenal’s missing piece
Arsenal have already seen their attack change this summer, with Leandro Trossard leaving for Besiktas. The Belgian was a loyal servant for Arsenal and certainly played his part in the Gunners winning the Premier League title. However, he still wasn’t at a high level. And Arsenal struggled in general in attack, with injuries and lack of form.
Bukayo Saka was the biggest miss last season, suffering with injuries across the campaign. However, he still managed to average 2.6 chances created per 90 in the Premier League, the most of any Arsenal attacker. And it was more than VInicius Jr’s average of 2.3 — though only just. Noni Madueke, Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli all averaged fewer than 2.0 chances created per 90. Martinelli did lead for his 0.4 assists per 90, and 55.56% success rate in take-ons. But only Trossard (1.2) completed fewer take-ons per 90 than Martinelli’s 1.7. Trossard also played the most through-balls per 90 at 0.5, only slightly more than Vinicius Jr’s 0.4.
But Vinicius Jr dominates every other key winger metric. Although he completed just 44.62% of his take-ons — the least of any player in his comparison — the Brazilian completed 2.8 per 90, which is the most. Madueke was his closest rival last season, with 2.2 take-ons completed per 90. To have that threat on the left as well as the right would be a big boost to Arsenal’s attack. No Arsenal winger was able to match Vinicius Jr for shots on target, or goals, per 90 either. Only Saka and Martinelli (1.1) managed to break at least 1.0 shot on target per 90, but Vinicius Jr stood clear with 1.5. His 0.6 goals per 90 was also double any Arsenal winger.
Vinicius Jr would also play a key role in winning free-kicks, aiding Arsenal’s set-piece prowess. He averaged 2.6 fouls won per 90 in La Liga, which is impressive considering so many infractions on the Brazilian are missed. It’s something Arsenal fans are all too familiar in seeing with Saka, who still averaged 2.2 fouls won per 90. The Brazilian also averaged 10.4 touches in the opposition box per 90 in La Liga, with Madueke’s 8.6 his closest Arsenal rival. In the key comparison, Martinelli (5.7) and Trossard (5.2) pale by some distance, though playing styles and systems will certainly play their part.
How Arsenal’s new-look attack could lineup
Mikel Arteta often switched between a 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1 last season, with the No.10 able to be a fluid mover between the lines. Should Vinicius Jr sign for the Gunners, there’s only one spot he’ll fill on the team, replacing Martinelli as the first-choice left-winger now that Trossard has left.
Martinelli won’t be happy to lose out to his compatriot, but it’s one of the easiest switches in squad planning. The 25-year-old has also been a lot more impactful for Arsenal when coming off the bench against tired legs.
Kai Havertz started the Champions League Final for Arsenal after injury, and seems to be first-choice striker. It leaves Viktor Gyokeres on the bench ready to make an impact. There is a question over who starts in the No.10 role.
Martin Odegaard, again, was favoured in the Champions League Final in that spot after returning from injury. And he can help Arsenal switch on the pitch between a 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3, without too much negative impact. But Eberechi Eze will be eyeing up that spot and a more important role in the team. Saka should be on the right when fit, with Madueke as the backup.