Are Mikel Arteta and the Arsenal board right to pursue a deal for Real Madrid's Vini Jr.?

[p]The Swedish international managed to score 14 in the English top-flight, at least seven more than any of his teammates, on the way to the North Londoners landing their first title in 22 years.[/p][h2][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gyokeres-viktor/zaBZ1xIk/"]Gyokeres[/a] on the way out at [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/arsenal/hA1Zm19f/"]Arsenal[/a]?[/h2][p]In all competitions, he managed 21 goals, and that was the best debut campaign for a player at the club since [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sanchez-alexis/QgGt7V0d/"]Alexis Sanchez[/a] in 2014/15 (25 goals).[/p][p]Indeed, only Sanchez, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/wright-ian/2ast6RjD/"]Ian Wright[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/henry-thierry/S4aJ3ciG/"]Thierry Henry[/a] scored more in their first season in N5.[/p][embed guid="2d487f06-f6c2-477b-8971-828fb06ab93a" url="https://x.com/Flashscorecom/status/2081258991355670967" social-type="twitter" /][p]Rumours persist, however, that Gyokeres could be on his way to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/atl-madrid/jaarqpLQ/"]Atletico Madrid[/a], but it isn't clear at this stage if [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/alvarez-julian/bBHauDIC/"]Julian Alvarez[/a] would move in the opposite direction, given Los Rojiblancos' stated aim that the Argentinian is going nowhere.[/p][p]Now it has come to light that [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/arteta-mikel/lAbHYaQM/"]Mikel Arteta[/a] is exploring the possibility of prising [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/vinicius-junior/CbwQ4Mws/"]Vinicius Junior[/a] from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/real-madrid/W8mj7MDD/"]Real Madrid[/a].[/p][h2]Real Madrid have put a £137m price tag on Vinicius Jr[/h2][p]Often a divisive presence, the Brazilian has, nevertheless, delivered the goods during his time at the Santiago Bernabeu.[/p][p]The fact that Spanish media are reporting that Los Blancos have put a transfer fee of €160m/£137m in the public domain would suggest that they are willing to cash in on a player with only a year left on his contract.[/p][embed guid="ade8d4ef-c873-40e5-ba89-bd755eb37b69" url="https://x.com/realmadrid/status/1895924600732840034" social-type="twitter" /][p]At just 26 years of age, Vini Jr still has what are considered a player's peak years ahead of him, and with 128 goals and 100 assists in 375 appearances for the Spanish giants, it's obvious why there might be serious interest in his striking services.[/p][p]Talks between the Brazilian and Real Madrid have stalled for months, and neither party can allow them to drag on any longer.[/p][h2]Deal needs to be done quickly[/h2][p]If nothing can be thrashed out quickly, the only possible solution is a sale, as the player would be free to talk to other clubs in January, and could move for nothing next summer. [/p][p]That's a scenario that Real surely cannot countenance, and they can't be so naive as to believe it wouldn't happen, as that is precisely how they procured [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mbappe-kylian/Wn6E2SED/"]Kylian Mbappe[/a] from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/psg/CjhkPw0k/"]Paris Saint-Germain[/a].[/p][image alt="Vinicius Junior's recent stats" id="59a793f2-e9b8-42cf-a8b3-a2f55f57fb5e" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="0bd3ce14-ab19-4323-8dc5-14e703c8460d" original-width="1200" original-height="1200" /][p]It's long been thought that the Saudi Pro League would offer Vini Jr a 'name your price' deal, though it's hard to imagine a player of his status joining the SPL at this point in time.[/p][p]Arsenal would arguably represent a good move should it become a potential reality, though aside from his goals and assists, what else could the Brazilian offer the North Londoners?[/p][h2]Incredible pace and unpredictable skill[/h2][p]With pace to burn - 35 fast breaks last season was vastly more than anyone else - and no little skill, it's clear that on his day, he is the trickiest of customers, and that kind of unpredictability is something that the Gunners have lacked for some while.[/p][p]Apart from his goals, he also managed to hit the woodwork seven times in 2025/26, with no Real player doing so more often.[/p][embed guid="301caae2-d13b-4b00-be4f-a20b7f423b86" url="https://x.com/Flashscorecom/status/2079175267189248151" social-type="twitter" /][p]Though his histrionics have often wound up opponents and crowds to no end in LaLiga, that too is a skill which can unite a team. Siege mentality and all that, something that shouldn't be overlooked.[/p][p]Of those players who were regular starters under both [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/alonso-xabi/hAcTWKKN/"]Xabi Alonso[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/arbeloa-alvaro/CO9bjrLo/"]Alvaro Arbeloa[/a] last season, only Mbappe topped Vini Jr in various attacking metrics.[/p][h2]Crossing ability must improve[/h2][p]Certainly, the Brazilian can be proud of 22 goals, a shot accuracy of 55.47%, a shot conversion rate of 13.7% and 167 total shots, 71 of which were on target.[/p][p]In terms of passes ending in the final third, no one could beat Vini's 967, and an 82.09% pass completion, more generally, is also a laudable statistic for a player who spends most of his time out on the wing.[/p][embed guid="4732c566-2d43-4dbb-a51d-5fb2990640ec" url="https://x.com/FabrizioRomano/status/2053564172147794088?lang=en" social-type="twitter" /][p]One area that could clearly be improved upon is his crossing ability. [/p][p]Though [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/alexander-arnold-trent/CEVJy6Bc/"]Trent Alexander-Arnold[/a] was the only Real player to make more than Vini's 79 crosses into the box, only 12 of the Brazilian's efforts found their target.[/p][p]In a team such as Arsenal that is aiming to defend its Premier League title and go one better in the Champions League, that's nowhere near good enough.[/p][h2]Crowd issues could force Vini's hand[/h2][p]At least no one can knock him for his efforts in terms of ball recovery (137 separate occasions) and one-on-one duels (574, at least 132 more than any of his teammates).[/p][embed guid="d59b7726-999a-4b0b-a20b-6ad81f9259cf" url="https://x.com/FabrizioRomano/status/2023895009049932211?lang=en" social-type="twitter" /][p]Whether his attitude could be better is a matter for debate, given that it's on public record how many times the abuse directed at him from crowds in Spain has gone well beyond the bounds of acceptability.[/p][p]That, perhaps more than anything else, might be the one issue which sees Vini decide to move on to pastures new.[/p][infobox id="8a8311c3-81b3-440e-8b49-36091db073d1" /]