Arsenal's Pursuit of Left Wingers After Vinícius Miss

Arsenal shot for the moon with Vinícius Júnior. They missed. Now they have to be clever.

For a few days this summer, the Premier League champions allowed themselves to dream. Vinícius was reportedly stalling on a new Real Madrid deal, the relationship looked strained, and Arsenal stepped into the gap. It was bold, it was unlikely, and it was exactly the sort of move a champion makes when it wants to stay on top.

Then reality bit. Vinícius signed on again at the Bernabéu, Morgan Rogers went to Chelsea, Bradley Barcola tilted towards Liverpool, and Arsenal’s grand plan for the left flank suddenly looked a lot more complicated.

Christos Tzolis has arrived from Club Brugge to replace Leandro Trossard, but asking him to own that side in his first season back in England feels optimistic. Gabriel Martinelli, for all his big moments, has not quite convinced either his manager or his fanbase that he is the long-term answer. The champions need a winger who can tilt games, not just decorate them.

So where do they turn now?

Kenan Yildiz – The Del Piero heir ready for a bigger stage

If Arsenal want star power with upside, Kenan Yildiz sits near the top of the list.

Juventus missed out on the UEFA Champions League last season and may need a major sale. Yildiz, still only 21, looks like the obvious cash cow after a breakout 2025-26 campaign: 20 goal involvements in 47 games across all competitions, with 11 goals and nine assists.

His numbers in Serie A place him in rare company. He became only the second Juventus player in the last 50 years to score at least five goals in the first 15 league games of a season before turning 21. The other? His idol, Alessandro Del Piero. He then pushed on to become the first non-Italian Juve player to hit double figures for league goals before 21, and just the seventh overall, the first since Roberto Bettega in 1970-71.

Yildiz isn’t just a finisher. He is a problem. Right-footed, happy off his left, he took 73 shots with his right and 23 with his left in Serie A last season, constantly forcing defenders to guess. He drives, he cuts, he shoots from both angles.

And he creates. Across Europe’s top five leagues last season, only Bruno Fernandes (98) and Romano Schmid (77) fashioned more open-play chances than Yildiz (67). Only Vinícius (43) produced more chance-creating carries than his 37. Those are elite numbers, the kind that fit perfectly into Mikel Arteta’s controlled chaos on the flanks.

If Arsenal want a winger who can both score and orchestrate, Yildiz ticks almost every box.

Nico Williams – Dribbles, box touches and a World Cup final touch

Nico Williams has been on every big club’s whiteboard for what feels like years. Arsenal’s is no exception.

The Athletic Club winger is tied to his boyhood club until 2035, a contract that screams “you’ll have to pay for this one.” But Arsenal have already shown with Martín Zubimendi that they can tempt Basque loyalists away from home when the project is right.

Williams’ 2025-26 league campaign in Spain was stop-start – six goals and three assists in 25 La Liga games, disrupted by injury – yet his quality still cut through. He missed the start of the World Cup but came back to influence Spain’s run to the title in North America, supplying the assist for Ferran Torres’ winner in the final against Argentina with a clever headed layoff.

His profile is pure chaos on the wing. He averaged 8.2 dribbles per 90 in La Liga; only Lamine Yamal, Kevin and Jérémy Doku attempted more across Europe’s top five leagues (minimum 1,000 minutes). He lived in the box as well, with 7.7 touches per 90 in the opposition area – only 12 wingers in those leagues could better that.

The catch is the reported €90 million release clause. It stings. But it is not outlandish in a market where genuine one-on-one specialists are scarce. For a club looking to add another high-volume dribbler opposite Bukayo Saka, Williams is exactly the sort of weapon who can rip open low blocks and punish stretched defences.

Abde Ezzalzouli – The foul magnet with Champions League momentum

If Arsenal want something closer to Vinícius in style, if not in status, Abde Ezzalzouli is an intriguing fit.

The former Barcelona winger lit up Real Betis last season, posting 10 goals and eight assists in 29 La Liga games. Only six players in the division produced more goal involvements as Betis muscled their way into the Champions League places.

Abde’s World Cup dream with Morocco died through injury, a bitter blow that could easily fuel him into next season. His game, though, already looks tailored for a team like Arsenal. He wins fouls, he carries, he drags his side up the pitch.

Just four players in La Liga won more fouls than his 71 last season. Only 10 players averaged more long progressive carries per 90 than his 5.7 (minimum 1,000 minutes), defined as carries that move the ball at least 10 metres upfield. For a side as deadly from set pieces as Arsenal, a winger who constantly draws contact in advanced areas has obvious value.

He is not Vinícius. But he offers a similar blend of direct running, disruption and territorial gain that can tilt matches in tight title races.

Mika Godts – The Eredivisie livewire who might slip away

Mika Godts might already be out of reach. Paris Saint-Germain are circling, eyeing him as a possible replacement for Barcola. PSG, though, are reportedly reluctant to hit Ajax’s full asking price. In a window full of hijacks, that leaves the door ajar, if only slightly.

If Arsenal want to kick it open, the numbers justify the temptation.

Godts, who turned 21 in June, is one of Europe’s most exciting young wide forwards. Quick feet, relentless dribbling, and – crucially – end product. He racked up 30 goal involvements in the Eredivisie last season, with 17 goals and 13 assists. Across Europe’s top 10 leagues, only five players managed more.

Creatively, he was in rare air too. Only Bruno Fernandes (98) and Arsenal’s own Tzolis (81) created more open-play chances than Godts (80) in those top 10 leagues. Only Lamine Yamal (133) and Yan Diomande (118) completed more dribbles than his 87.

On the carry front, he was devastating. Only Tzolis (44) produced more chance-creating carries than Godts (43), who matched Vinícius’ tally in two fewer games (34 to 36). The caveat is obvious: Godts did this in the Eredivisie, Tzolis in the Belgian Pro League, not in the Premier League or La Liga. But the underlying profile screams high ceiling.

If Arsenal are willing to gamble on a league jump, Godts offers exactly the sort of high-upside chaos they have been willing to back in recent windows.

Iliman Ndiaye – The Premier League dribbler who presses like a No.8

Among all the names linked since the Vinícius pursuit cooled, Iliman Ndiaye feels the most realistic.

The Senegal international spent most of last season on the right for Everton, but he shifted left after Jack Grealish’s injury in January and looked comfortable there. His versatility across the front line only adds to his appeal.

Ndiaye finished 2025-26 with six goals and three assists in 30 Premier League games, emerging as one of Everton’s few consistent attacking sparks. His ball-carrying stood out: only Jérémy Doku (84) completed more dribbles in the Premier League than Ndiaye’s 73.

He fits Arsenal’s off-ball demands as well. Only Bukayo Saka (27) won possession in the opposition’s final third more often than Ndiaye (26) in the league last season. For Arteta, who asks his wide players to press as aggressively as they create, that blend of work rate and one-on-one threat is pure gold.

The only question is whether Arsenal see him as a left-side solution or a rotational piece across the front three. The data suggests he can handle either brief.

Saïd El Mala – Teenager carrying a struggling Köln

If Arsenal want to get in early on the next big thing, Saïd El Mala is the kind of name that usually ends up at a Bayern or a Dortmund. Which is precisely the problem: Borussia Dortmund are already heavily linked.

Even so, his profile demands attention. At 19, El Mala scored 13 goals in 34 Bundesliga games for an FC Köln side that finished 14th. Those are serious numbers in a struggling team.

He doesn’t just finish moves; he initiates them. Only Bayern’s Michael Olise (47) and Luis Díaz (41) recorded more shot-ending carries in the Bundesliga than El Mala’s 37 last season. Only Olise (8) had more goal-ending carries than his six.

This is a winger who doesn’t wait for service. He takes the ball, drives, and manufactures chances. In a possession-dominant Arsenal side, that instinct to break lines off his own boot would add a different dimension to the left flank.

Matias Fernandez-Pardo – The Ligue 1 runner with room to grow

Matias Fernandez-Pardo is the kind of player you sign a year before everyone else realises how good he is.

The 21-year-old Belgium international enjoyed a quietly impressive 2025-26 with Lille, contributing eight goals and five assists in 29 Ligue 1 games. Belgium even picked him ahead of Godts for the World Cup squad, a decision that underlined how highly he is rated.

His standout trait is ball progression. Only seven players in Ligue 1 recorded more long progressive carries than his 122 last season. He doesn’t just run for the sake of it either. He ranked seventh for shot-ending carries (26), and three of his 13 chance-creating carries resulted directly in assists.

This is still a work in progress rather than a finished product. Arsenal, though, have shown they are willing to invest in players who can grow into elite roles. The question is whether they want a developmental option or a ready-made starter on the left.

Jack Grealish – Fouls, craft and a short-term wildcard

Now for the curveballs.

Jack Grealish, fresh from a productive loan at Everton, is back at Manchester City with his future again in flux. He turns 31 in September, so any move would be a short-term play, but his output last season suggests he still has plenty to offer at Premier League level.

In 20 league games for Everton, Grealish produced two goals and six assists. More tellingly, he created 1.99 open-play chances per 90 minutes – at least double the rate of any other Everton player who passed the 1,000-minute mark.

His biggest selling point for Arsenal, though, might be something far less glamorous: he wins fouls. Lots of them. Only Burnley’s Hannibal Mejbri (3.4) drew more fouls per 90 in the Premier League than Grealish (3.2) last season, again among players with at least 1,000 minutes.

For a side that routinely weaponises set pieces, that is not a trivial detail. Three extra free-kicks per game around the box adds up quickly over a title race.

Marcus Rashford – Corners, goals and an uneasy return

If Grealish is a stretch, Marcus Rashford feels like pure fantasy. But this summer has already shown that nothing is off the table for Arsenal.

Rashford spent last season on loan at Barcelona, and while the Spanish champions ultimately chose to sign Anthony Gordon instead, the England forward still delivered a solid campaign: 14 goals and 11 assists in 49 games in all competitions.

One statistic, though, jumps out in the context of Arsenal. In the league, Rashford took 94 corners for Barça, just one fewer than Declan Rice’s 95 in the Premier League. He delivered 23 successful corners into the box – where a teammate made first contact – two more than Rice’s 21.

Arsenal are already one of Europe’s most dangerous set-piece sides. Adding a winger who can both score and deliver at that volume from corners would only sharpen that edge.

Back at Manchester United, Rashford’s future still feels unresolved. Player and club do not appear entirely aligned. If Arsenal decide to test that relationship, they would not just be signing a winger; they would be prising away a symbol.

Arsenal aimed for Vinícius and came up short, but the message was clear: the champions are not content to stand still. From Yildiz’s creativity to Williams’ dribbling, from Ndiaye’s pressing to the wild-card allure of Grealish or Rashford, the market is full of possibilities.

The question now is not whether Arsenal will move for a left winger. It is how bold they are prepared to be the second time they pull the trigger.