Arsenal legend Ian Wright has expressed his belief that Bradley Barcola would have been an ideal addition for his former club, following the winger's £123million move to Liverpool from Paris Saint-Germain. The comments come after Arsenal failed in their pursuit of several other attacking targets over the summer, including Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior and Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers.
Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, Wright made clear his admiration for Barcola's profile and the experience he brings from his time in the French capital. "That is the player Arsenal need to sign. He comes in from a brilliant PSG side and he's played with players who are on that level," Wright said.
The former Gunners striker also touched on how Barcola's move to Anfield could elevate the Liverpool side around him, drawing parallels to the kind of talismanic presence Arsenal may have benefited from. "Now he's coming into a Liverpool side where he is that superstar and will bring them [his teammates] up there," he continued. "That's what we needed. Whether you think Morgan Rogers could have done that, I would have been happy with that. But Barcola was available."
Wright's comments reflect a broader frustration among some pundits and supporters that Arsenal's summer transfer business left a gap on the left flank, an area that has often been seen as underwhelming compared to the strength found elsewhere in the squad.
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, appearing alongside Wright, offered a somewhat contrasting personal take but ultimately agreed that the Barcola situation was worth scrutinizing. Carragher, understandably pleased as a Liverpool supporter that the Frenchman ended up at Anfield rather than the Emirates, admitted he had been closely following how the transfer saga unfolded.
"I'm happy it didn't happen but I was looking at the Barcola thing," Carragher said. He went on to identify what he sees as a longstanding issue in Arsenal's attacking setup, contrasting the calibre of their right-hand side with the left. "For me with Arsenal, left wing has always felt like where the drop is compared to [Bukayo] Saka, [Martin] Odegaard, [Kai] Havertz," he explained.
Carragher did acknowledge some positive signs from Arsenal's alternative option on that side, pointing to the early performances of new arrival Christos Tzolis. "The new kid has made a decent start," he noted, suggesting the Greek winger has shown promise since joining the club.
However, Carragher's underlying concern centered on the timing and outcome of Arsenal's pursuit of attacking reinforcements throughout the summer window. As the Barcola links dragged on without resolution, and as moves for both Vinicius Junior and Julian Alvarez also failed to materialize, Carragher revealed he began to question whether Arsenal had let a genuine opportunity slip through their fingers. "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?" he said.
The combined verdict from two well-respected voices in English football underscores the scrutiny Arsenal's transfer strategy has faced, particularly regarding their inability to land a marquee left-sided attacker despite reportedly being linked with several high-profile names throughout the window. With Barcola now settling into life at Liverpool, questions remain over whether Arsenal made the most of their opportunities in the market.
Based on reporting from Standard Football.