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The three players Arsenal missed out on as Arteta looked to replace Martinelli

By on September 5, 2026

vinicious junior real madrid

Arsenal explored moves for Juventus’ Kenan Yildiz, Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr and Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez as Mikel Arteta looked to replace Gabriel Martinelli this summer, according to Football London.

Strengthening the attack was among Arsenal’s biggest priorities going into the recently concluded summer transfer window. The Premier League champions were linked with several attacking options, although none of those moves ultimately came to fruition.

Morgan Rogers looked particularly close to joining the Gunners at one stage, only for Chelsea to beat them to his signature and complete a then record-breaking deal for the Englishman.

Julian Alvarez was another player on Arsenal’s radar, but Atletico Madrid remained determined to keep the Argentine despite reports that he wanted to leave the Metropolitano.

Following the departure of Gabriel Martinelli in a big-money move to Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal, there was an expectation the club would undoubtedly add an attacker who can play on the left wing, but no deal materialised, leaving Mikel Arteta with only Christos Tzolis as the only natural left winger.

However, it appears Arsenal explored several targets as Mikel Arteta looked to replace Martinelli, as Football London claims the Premier League champions considered options including Kenan Yildiz, Julian Alvarez and Vinicius Jr.

For Yildiz, the report says the Gunners made enquiries about a possible move for the Turkish international earlier in the summer transfer window.

The report adds that Arsenal’s sporting director Andrea Berta was keeping tabs on the 21-year-old’s situation in Turin before he decided to extend his contract to remain with Juventus.

However, the North Londoners appear keen to sign Yildiz, with Football London adding that the club has long been interested in the versatile attacker and could reignite that interest in the future.

Arteta held talks with Alvarez

Football London also confirmed Arsenal’s Station’s previous report that Arsenal have held club-to-club talks with Atletico over signing Julian Alvarez.

According to the report, Atletico director Mateu Alemany was in London in recent weeks to hold face-to-face talks with Arsenal’s hierarchy over the Argentine’s transfer.

In addition, negotiations have been ongoing since the beginning of the year, and Alvarez’s agent Fernando Hidalgo was even present at the Emirates Stadium in February during the Gunners’ 1-0 Carabao Cup second-leg win over Chelsea, according to the report.

As a result, Football London adds that Mikel Arteta’s side pushed to sign the 26-year-old up until the final days of the transfer market and were ready to offer a club-record fee to land the centre-forward.

Despite also holding talks with Arsenal manager, the onus was on Alvarez to decide, and the Argentine international chose Barcelona as his preferred choice, citing family logistics for his refusal to return to England, according to the report.

Arteta insists summer targets are ‘100% ticked’

Perhaps it can be argued that Arsenal’s most ambitious target, not just in the recently concluded transfer window but over the past decade, was Real Madrid’s Vinícius Jr.

This is according to Football London, which reveals that the Premier League champions were seriously considering a move for the Brazilian winger.

Optimism grew that an ambitious move could happen, only for him to extend his contract with Madrid after the Spanish giants bridged the gap in his contractual demands, the report says.

Amid reports that Vinicius was offered a lucrative contract to move to the Emirates, the report clarifies that the London giants never agreed on personal terms with the Brazilian, although they were ready to break the bank for his transfer.

Arsenal only added Tzolis to their attacking options while allowing Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus to leave the club. Ethan Nwaneri was also permitted to join Borussia Dortmund on loan.

On paper, those departures leave Arteta’s side with a weaker attack than they had last season, but the manager insisted, in his pre-Chelsea press conference, that his side had not taken a major risk. He revealed that the club’s transfer targets had been ‘100% ticked’, suggesting they had achieved what they set out to do in the window.