Paul Merson Urges Arsenal to Acquire Bradley Barcola

Paul Merson warns Arsenal: “They have to get Barcola” after Trossard exit

Arsenal have spent the summer building from the back. Piero Hincapie, Illan Meslier and Christos Tzolis are through the door, the Premier League champions quietly tightening the spine of Mikel Arteta’s squad.

But out wide, a problem is growing.

With Leandro Trossard sold to Besiktas, the left flank suddenly looks thin. Gabriel Martinelli remains the starter, yet behind him the safety net has gone. For Paul Merson, that combination of ambition and vulnerability leaves Arsenal with no margin for error in the market.

And in his eyes, it leads straight to one name: Bradley Barcola.

“He’s playing Arsenal”

Arsenal have been heavily linked with a blockbuster move for Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior. It is the kind of pursuit that underlines where the club now see themselves – and where others see them too.

“Vinicius Junior is just looking for a new contract at Real Madrid. He’s playing Arsenal,” Merson told Sky Sports, cutting through the romance of the rumour.

That, to him, is the point. Arsenal are shopping in the rarest air, even if they end up walking away empty-handed.

“But this is where Arsenal are now. This is the market they’re in. Arsenal are looking to buy someone from Real Madrid, one of the top players. It just shows you where Arsenal are in the market. It’s a big worry for all the other teams in the league, in my opinion.”

The chase for Vinicius might be a long shot, but the intent is clear. Arsenal want an elite winger, a match-winner off the left. And if the Brazilian stays exactly where he is, Merson believes there is only one logical response.

The pressure, in Merson’s view, now lands squarely on Arsenal’s recruitment team.

“If Arsenal don’t get Vinicius, then they have to get Bradley Barcola,” he insisted. “They have to get a left winger in, especially now Leandro Trossard has left. They left themselves very short in that position. And if Arsenal don’t get Vinicius or Barcola, then it’s a major worry.”

Barcola, the PSG winger admired by Liverpool, has become the alternative that cannot be missed. Arsenal, Merson argues, cannot allow a direct rival to win that race while they stand still on the flank they have just weakened.

The champions want to stay at the top of the league’s food chain. Losing out on both Vinicius and Barcola, with Trossard already gone, would send the opposite message.

Trossard sale branded “not good business”

Underpinning Merson’s urgency is his disbelief at the decision to cash in on Trossard.

“For them to let Trossard go is not good business in my opinion – not for what you’re selling,” he said. “He went for literally nothing. I can’t believe that half the Premier League weren’t after Trossard. He played in all the big games for Arsenal last season and he’s a brilliant footballer.”

This is not just nostalgia for a useful squad player. Merson draws a sharp line between ordinary talent and genuine craft.

“There are a lot of good players but not a lot of good footballers out there. He came under that second category.”

Trossard’s goals, his intelligence between the lines, his ability to step into high-pressure fixtures without shrinking – all of that has walked out of the dressing room. Arsenal, by choice, have created a gap.

Now, with Liverpool circling Barcola and Vinicius seemingly using interest as leverage in Madrid, the champions stand at a fork in the road.

Do they replace that quality on the left with another top-tier winger? Or do they gamble that what they already have will be enough to defend a title in a league that punishes hesitation?