Arsenal have been aggressive in the summer transfer window, as they attempt to evolve from Premier League bridesmaids into bride next season.
Domestic regression in 2024–25 and the absence of silverware since 2020 means 2025–26 is a make-or-break campaign for Mikel Arteta’s project. The Gunners’ summer splurge means the Spaniard has nowhere to hide.
Arteta has a new metronome in midfield, adept cover for William Saliba, a talent capable of providing Bukayo Saka respite and, most importantly, a goalscorer. For many, Viktor Gyökeres will prove to be the missing piece.
However, Arsenal’s pre-season outings in the Far East have further manifested the need for one final addition to complete this summer. Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze is reportedly the club’s priority, but we’re dreamers here at Sports Illustrated. The gifted Eze is a safe bet, but the mercurial talent of AC Milan’s Rafael Leão could take things to a new level.
Game-Breaking Talent
After last season’s decline, which, admittedly, can largely be attributed to injuries, there’s a sense that Mikel Arteta needs to take this Arsenal team in a different direction.
Now, we‘re not talking about a systematic overhaul here. Ultimately, Arteta‘s coaching has thrust the Gunners into the position they’re currently in. They haven‘t yet got over the line with the Spaniard at the helm, but they‘re now a far cry from the laughing stock inherited by their current manager.
Arteta has been accused of ‘over-coaching’ his players, with Arsenal’s play last season so often drab and dreary when they faced up against deep-lying defences. Such predictability has been on display this summer, so it might take a stripping of the manager’s ego for Arsenal to make the long-awaited leap.
Perhaps it’s time for Arteta to take a bit of a risk. Leão, on the surface, is not your typical Arteta player in the sense that he isn’t much of a worker out of possession. The success of this Gunners team has been predicated on their brilliance without the ball, but, as we noted, it might be time for the boss to go down a different route. Instead of signing someone who’ll certainly function for the sake of the collective, Arsenal should opt for off-the-cuff brilliance: a superstar talent.
Leão hasn’t quite reached superstardom yet, but the winger’s potential to emerge as one of the world’s best is undeniable. He was Serie A’s MVP during Milan’s Scudetto win of 2021–22, but Leão has merely been good, not great since. There have been glimpses of his most potent form, but he’s a winger who continues to frustrate.
Still, he’s absolutely electrifying in full tilt and, in tandem with Gyökeres, would transform Arsenal in transition. Leão eats up space like no other, and has the burst to beat his man from a standing start. Overall, he’d make this Arsenal team infinitely more threatening.
Upgrade Required
Gabriel Martinelli was superb during Arsenal’s coming-of-age 2022–23 season, during which they were beaten to the Premier League title by Manchester City. The Brazilian looked set to be a cornerstone of Arteta’s project, but the last two seasons have been tough for the winger due to injuries and tactical evolution.
The connections developed down Arsenal’s left quickly faded, and Martinelli has struggled to get up to speed since. He’s blessed with a nifty turn of pace, but he’s not someone you can isolate out wide in the hope that he’ll relentlessly beat his man.
Arteta has often trusted Leandro Trossard over the past 18 months, and the Belgian has been one of the club’s smartest signings of modern times. The Belgian has a knack for producing in the big moments.
However, the play down Arsenal’s left-hand side last season was sub-par. Injuries did play a role, but the club would be taking a risk by rolling out the same personnel down that flank again. Noni Madueke is capable on his ‘traditional’ wing but has been more effective down the right during his senior career.
Eze, if he signed, would offer cover in midfield and at this position, but he’s not the touchline winger Arsenal require. Leão, on the contrary, very much is. He’s a game-breaker who’s more than happy to be left on an island with a marker out wide. However, in order to facilitate such a move, Arsenal would likely have to part ways with at least one of Martinelli or Trossard.
Premier League Allure
The Premier League has become a ’Super League’ in its own right, and players will particularly be attracted to the idea of living in London. Arsenal, of course, can offer that.
Leão has had his moments in Rossoneri colours, with previous regimes, most notably Paulo Fonseca, failing to see eye-to-eye. It once seemed close to inevitable that the winger would at least make a strong push to leave this summer, but the appointment of Massimiliano Allegri means there’s been little out of Leão’s camp regarding a potential departure.
Allegri’s football will not thrill the masses, but he remains a hugely respected coach who has already won at Milan. The 26-year-old said “everything has changed” for the better at Milan since the new manager’s appointment, and the player’s contract situation means the Italian giants have no reason to sell if Allegri wants Leão on board.
It’ll take a big offer from the Gunners to secure the Portuguese game-breaker, but there are factors they can weaponise in order to attract the gifted winger.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Dream Transfer: Rafael Leao to Arsenal.
