Better than Rogers: Arsenal working to sign “one of the best LWs in the world”

There’s no denying that Arsenal‘s Premier League triumph, and potential Champions League success, has been driven by the depth of Mikel Arteta‘s squad, with every player playing their part to some degree in this remarkable season for the Gunners.

That being said, there might have been those feeling a little sheepish when holding the trophy aloft last weekend, with Arteta’s forward line, in particular, having failed to come to the party for much of the campaign.

£60m signing, Noni Madueke, rounded off against Crystal Palace with just his third league goal of the season, while Gabriel Martinelli netted just once on the opposite flank.

While impacted by injury, a tally of five league goals between them makes for grim reading for Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz too, with Viktor Gyokeres the only player to reach double figures, scoring twice as many as Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze in second.

It mattered little in the end, but heading into this summer, it’s clear where the club’s priorities lie.

Arsenal already working on deal to sign Morgan Rogers alternative

A similar deal to the one which brought Declan Rice to the Emirates back in 2023 could well be on the cards again, with Arteta seemingly ramping up his pursuit of Aston Villa star, Morgan Rogers.

As noted by TEAMtalk, the Gunners are said to view Rogers as a potential solution on that left flank, having positioned themselves alongside Chelsea in the race for his signature.

Villa, unsurprisingly, won’t let him go easily, likely to demand a fee above the £100m that Manchester City forked out to prise Jack Grealish from Villa Park in 2021.

That has led Arsenal to also explore parallel deals, with the same report outlining that work has already been carried out on a batch of other left-wing targets, including AC Milan’s Rafael Leao.

Rogers is the name ‘being pushed strongly’ as things stand, although ‘extensive’ checks are taking place regarding Leao and co too, with a departure from San Siro seemingly in the works for the Portuguese forward.

While no price tag is mentioned, prior reports have indicated that the 26-year-old could be on the market for as little as £40m.

Why Leao could be an even better signing than Rogers

Just as centre-forward had become prior to Viktor Gyokeres’ arrival, the left-wing berth feels like a position that has been neglected for almost too long now in north London.

Indeed, it was over three years ago that Leandro Trossard made the move from Brighton and Hove Albion, a deal that felt relatively short-term at the time, yet one that remains the club’s last investment in that department.

Considering the success of this season, of course, it’s hard to argue against Arteta’s careful planning, yet with Arsenal now in the ascendancy in the Premier League, now’s the time to truly kick on.

Rogers, still only 23, would be a truly exciting signing, although one concern would be that he has typically been deployed in more of a roaming number ten role, as will likely be the case also for England this summer.

With Gyokeres through the middle, the Gunners could do with a genuine, natural outlet to support him off the left, something which Leao would certainly provide.

An electric, powerhouse forward, the Milan sensation is arguably “one of the best left-wingers in the world“, in the view of analyst and Como scout, Ben Mattinson, having consistently delivered in Italy over recent years.

While perhaps still waiting to really go to that next level, it’s difficult not to be impressed by his Serie A record so far across the last seven seasons.

In 227 games in Italy’s top-flight, he’s already recorded 114 goals and assists, having notably scored at least eight goals in each of the last five Serie A campaigns.

Four of the last five seasons also saw him chip in with ten assists, having for so long proven himself to be such a threat both creatively and in front of goal.

Rogers, who has registered 34 goals and assists across the last two Premier League seasons, may be the man in form now, but he doesn’t quite boast the same body of work as yet, only joining from the Championship in the winter of 2024.

Excitingly too, Leao’s 30 games in the Champions League to date have yielded 13 goals and assists, so deadly even up against Europe’s elite.

2025/26, for Milan as a whole, was bitterly disappointing, but you only have to look to previous seasons to see just what a game-changer the Portuguese is, having averaged 1.7 successful dribbles per game in 2024/25, alongside 2.3 the year prior.

He’s got a wealth of experience behind him yet is still to truly hit his prime, ensuring bringing Leao to north London could be the perfect signing for the Gunners this summer.