Jamie Carragher Criticizes Arsenal for Missing Out on £123m Liverpool Winger After Failing to Sign Vinicius Junior

Jamie Carragher has voiced his opinion that Arsenal made a huge mistake by not pursuing Bradley Barcola, who ended up joining Liverpool for £123 million. The pundit argues the Gunners needed a strong left winger after missing out on their top targets, Vinicius Jr and Julian Alvarez, during the summer transfer window.

Barcola Joins Liverpool After Arsenal's Hesitation

The French winger completed a five-year deal at Anfield, a move that Carragher says Arsenal should have contested more aggressively. Although the Gunners explored signing Barcola early in the window, they shifted focus elsewhere, which allowed Andoni Iraola's Liverpool side to secure the player with little competition.

Mikel Arteta has been seeking an elite left winger over the past two summers but has failed to land key targets in that role, leaving a noticeable gap in his squad.

Carragher Questions Arsenal's Strategy

"I’m happy it didn’t happen but I was looking at the Barcola thing," Carragher said on the Stick to Football podcast. "For me with Arsenal, left wing has always felt like where the drop is compared to Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, and Kai Havertz."

Though new signing Christos Tzolis has shown promise at the Emirates Stadium, Carragher insists that Arsenal missed a chance to add a premium player like Barcola. He added, "The new kid Tzolis has made a decent start. But the longer the Barcola thing went on, and then Arsenal didn’t get Vinicius Jr or Alvarez, I was thinking is that [signing Barcola] not the one?"

Arsenal Faces Left Wing Challenges Ahead of Chelsea Clash

The Gunners' struggles are worsened by the departure of two key left-sided attackers from last season. Leandro Trossard has moved permanently to Besiktas, and Gabriel Martinelli is close to sealing a £60 million transfer to Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal.

With these losses, Arteta must rely on his current squad as Arsenal prepare for a crucial Premier League London derby against Chelsea.

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• Ipswich Town vs Liverpool - 4 Sept 2026, 21:00
• Arsenal vs Chelsea - 6 Sept 2026, 17:30