Better than Saka: Arsenal hold talks to sign “the best left winger in the world”

Bukayo Saka will be the first person to tell you that he was well below par in an Arsenal shirt throughout the 2025/26 season.

The Gunners may well have won a first Premier League title in 22 years and reached the final of the Champions League but the club’s starboy struggled for form.

He ended the campaign with just 11 goals and seven assists. Not terrible numbers, sure, but this is a player who netted 20 times in 2023/24.

Sadly for Saka, he endured another injury-hit campaign. His minutes were managed carefully and the signing of Noni Madueke looked valuable for that reason.

That said, it would be a surprise if the winger was too bothered. The beaming smile he sported when he lifted the trophy and during the parade in north London on Sunday afternoon suggested he did not care one jot.

However, it does explain why Arsenal are looking at signing one or two new wingers this summer.

Arsenal looking at mega-money winger

Speaking in the aftermath of Arsenal’s defeat in Budapest on Saturday there was a sense from Arteta that he was not too satifisfied with some of the business conducted in the transfer market or with how some of his players had performed.

While the vast majority of the playing squad have met Arteta’s lofty standards, not all have. The Spaniard said at full-time: “We start to make some very important decisions if we want to reach another level. And we’re going to have to show that ambition. We are more than capable of doing it, but it’s going to demand us to be very, very ambitious, very fast and very smart.”

Ambition. That is the key word here. Well, Stan and Josh Kroenke could well show that by welcoming a batch of brand new attacking players to the Emirates Stadium.

Morgan Rogers would appear to be one of the number one options right now. Talks with the player’s representatives are already under way but Aston Villa have valued him around £100m, making this a very difficult deal to do.

Speaking of difficult moves, Arsenal have also been linked with a remarkable swoop for Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior.

That’s according to TEAMtalk who provide the latest on the Brazilian’s future at the Bernabeu. Vinicius’ current deal in the Spanish capital expires in 2027 and while club president Florentino Perez has no desire to sell, they may well have to if he doesn’t pen new terms.

As a result, a plethora of England’s biggest and best clubs are asking to be kept informed about the player’s situation.

The report notes how Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea have all held talks with the winger’s camp about a potential move within the next year.

How Vinicius Junior compares to Bukayo Saka

Arsenal were never going to have much of the ball in the Champions League final last weekend but irrespective of that, you would expect Saka to have put in a more convincing display.

Truthfully, there were not really many forward players who played with much panache and energy but the Englishman stood out for the wrong reasons.

He was not awful but he was not amazing either. That sums up Saka’s season in all honesty. He had some incredible moments, notably scoring and assisting against Fulham in the run-in, as well as netting the all important goal in the semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid.

However, he was below the exceptional standards he has set since breaking through from the Hale End academy.

Saka is still an incredible player, he is still their man man in attack. Vini Jr’s arrival, though, could well change that. However likely this move may be, there would be no better show of ambition from Arsenal than to sign a player who is regularly among the favourites to win the Ballon d’Or award.

Given Arsenal’s level of success this season, too, you would image the player would be appealed by a move. A transfer fee and the player’s wages could be a big sticking point though.

Either way, he would be quite the signing for an Arsenal team chasing their first Champions League title. He is “the best left winger in the world” according to club legend Thierry Henry and it is hard to dispute that.

He has scored 20 or more goals in each of his last five seasons, recently netting as many as 22 in 2025/26, as well as picking up ten assists.

The 25-year-old is a frigthtening talent and is undeniably a bigger talent than Saka. He’s got the reputation and he’s got the numbers to back it up.

As far as wingers go, Vinicius is the perfect package. He is an elite dribbler, about as progressive as they come and he’s capable of not just scoring goals, but scoring remarkable ones at that.

He is a player who can win a game on his own, a player who could take Arsenal to brand new heights.

They have never won the Champions League but sign the Brazilian superstar and their chances of taking home club football’s biggest prize would increase significantly.