Arsenal should explore a surprise move for Brighton & Hove Albion ace Kaoru Mitoma after seeing Vinicius Junior pen a new contract at Real Madrid, according to a former striker.
Arsenal were hopeful of luring Vinicius to the Premier League following 18 months of failed contract talks with Madrid. The Gunners mapped out their project to Vinicius, promising him a role as their talisman.
The winger was genuinely tempted by Arsenal’s offer, but his main desire was always to stay at Madrid.
He has since agreed a new six-year deal with the Spanish giants, forcing Arsenal to move on.
Bradley Barcola, Iliman Ndiaye and Nico Williams are understood to be Arsenal’s main targets for the left wing position, while Juventus’ Kenan Yildiz has also been linked.
But talkSPORT pundit Tony Cascarino has suggested Arteta considers Mitoma.
“If he was a tad younger and hadn’t had so many injuries, I’d really look at him,” Cascarino said.
“I thought Mitoma, when he’s been Brighton’s best player, he’s scarily good.
“He had a poor season last year, and a number of injuries. I think he scored three goals in the league for Brighton last year.
“But he’s a dangerous winger – he wants to take people on all the time. And Arsenal have got cover there, so, yeah [I’d go for him].”
Arsenal have sold Leandro Trossard to Besiktas and brought in Christos Tzolis as his replacement. They are now looking for an elite upgrade on Gabriel Martinelli.
Mitoma has already proven his ability to cause Premier League full-backs nightmares. When he is in full flow, the 29-year-old is very hard to stop.
That is why Al-Nassr reportedly offered a huge £75m for him in January 2025, only for it to be rejected by Brighton.
Arsenal should sign Barcola over Mitoma
However, Cascarino’s concerns are understandable. Mitoma is not quite the top-class, reliable winger Arsenal need to win the Champions League next season.
PSG’s Barcola is seemingly the solution. The Frenchman is pushing for a transfer, igniting a battle between Arsenal and Liverpool.
As things stand, Liverpool are frontrunners for Barcola, but Arsenal have firmly entered the frame.
Our sources have shut down speculation that Liverpool have already agreed to sign the 23-year-old for €128m (£110m), giving Arsenal an opportunity to pounce.
We understand PSG want €150m (£129m) to sell Barcola, though his suitors will clearly attempt to get that fee down.
