Arsenal told they ‘dodged a bullet’ by NOT signing Vinicius Jr after transfer saga

Arsenal title winner Emmanuel Petit believes his former side had a lucky escape after missing out on Vinicius Jr this summer.

The Gunners were crowned Premier League champions for the first time in 20 years back in May, but Mikel Arteta wasted no time on upgrading his squad.

Bruno Guimaraes, Ezri Konsa and Christos Tzolis have all made an immediate impact, but Arsenal did fail to land a new top-tier attacker. Arteta had earmarked the need for a new striker after a difficult first season for Viktor Gyokeres.

Atletico Madrid frontman Julian Alvarez was linked for the entire window, although his reluctance over a move to the Emirates ultimately scuppered any chance of a deal.

But a move for Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Jr was on the cards for a certain period of the window. The Gunners felt they were in pole position to land the Brazilian, who had reached an impasse in talks over a new contract.

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Arsenal were optimistic about completing a deal, before he eventually signed a new contract to stay at the Bernabeu. However, rather than seeing that as a negative, Petit, who won the double with Arsenal in 97/98, thinks Arteta may have struggled to incorporate the ego of a player like Vinicius.

Speaking to Boyle Sports, Petit said: "I think Vinicius Jnr is a really talented player but in terms of his mentality I am not sure he is a good fit for Arsenal. That’s just my opinion.

"I see so many humble players at Arsenal so if you all of a sudden bring in someone who is completely different, it can be a problem, especially with Arteta’s style of management.

"Look at what happened between Vinicius Jnr and Jose Mourinho in the last game between Real Betis and Real Madrid. It reminded me of what happened with Xabi Alonso last season when he didn’t want to shake his hand.

He added: "Vinicius Jnr receives so much stick from the fans, the press and social media but in those moments he is sending the wrong message. I think he is probably a bullet dodged for Arsenal looking at that moment.

"I would have loved to see a player with the talent of Vinicius Jnr play for Arsenal but with his mentality and his ego I think it would have made for a really difficult situation to cope with."

Failing to sign Alvarez was a blow though, according to Petit, who thinks the Argentinian would have slotted in seamlessly.

Petit continued: "Julian Alvarez is the striker Arsenal need. Why? Because he knows the Premier League. He’s such a talented player. He has great movement, great technical skills, and he would perfectly fit the DNA of this Arsenal team in how he plays one touch football. I really like everything about him as a player.

"But obviously he wants Barcelona, and if he didn’t leave Atletico Madrid in the summer transfer window, do you really think he’s going to leave that club during the winter transfer window? I wouldn’t be so sure about that."