Arsenal's Attack Transformation: Barcola and Álvarez in Focus

Leandro Trossard’s departure to Besiktas has done more than clear a space in Arsenal’s squad. It has thrown a spotlight on an entire attacking department that once looked settled, but now feels very much in play.

Mikel Arteta has allowed the Belgian, scorer of key goals in last season’s run-in, to leave north London. That decision, coupled with doubts over Gabriel Martinelli’s long-term role, signals a shift. Arsenal are not just trimming. They are preparing the ground for something bigger.

Martinelli, a symbol of the early Arteta era, suddenly finds his future framed in financial terms. A sale is on the table as the club look to raise funds and free up room for what they consider genuine upgrades. The brief is clear: sharpen the attack for another tilt at domestic dominance and a deeper run in Europe in 2026-27.

Barcola: The winger who hurt Arsenal – and now tempts them

Bradley Barcola has already shaped Arsenal’s recent history, and not in a way Gunners supporters enjoyed. The French winger played his part in Paris Saint-Germain’s back-to-back Champions League triumphs, a run that included the dismantling of Arsenal’s dreams in 2025-26. On the biggest stage, alongside Kylian Mbappé and Michael Olise, he didn’t shrink. He shone.

Yet in Paris, he is far from untouchable.

PSG’s attacking depth is brutal. Desire Doue, Ousmane Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia all jostle for the same spaces, the same minutes, the same spotlight. Barcola, 23 and still under contract at Parc des Princes until 2028, finds himself in a squad where even Champions League winners can drift to the fringes.

That is where opportunity lives for clubs like Arsenal.

With the 2026 summer window open and tempting offers being listened to, the Gunners are being urged to move. The club’s history with French talent is long and rich, and this would be a very modern continuation of that story: a quick, fearless wide forward entering his prime, capable of raising the ceiling of an already title-winning side.

Mikaël Silvestre, who knows both Arsenal and the French market, did not bother to dress up his view when speaking to GOAL in association with talkSPORT Bet Online Slots. For him, the fit is obvious.

“That would be an obvious choice for both the player and the club to go for,” he said, pointing to Barcola’s impact for PSG and France, and the stage of his career. Arsenal’s project, in his eyes, aligns perfectly with the winger’s trajectory: retain the Premier League title, and finally crack the Champions League. “It’s a green light on my side, 100%.”

The question is not whether Barcola is good enough. He has already answered that in Europe. The question is whether Arsenal are ready to be ruthless with what they already have on the flanks.

Premier League battle brewing

Arsenal are not alone at the table.

Liverpool are quietly mapping life after Mohamed Salah. Manchester United, back in the Champions League and still short of reliable goals from wide areas, are also circling. For both, Barcola sits near the top of the wishlist.

Former United striker Dwight Yorke has made his preference clear. Speaking to GOAL, he pushed Old Trafford firmly towards Paris.

“Bradley Barcola or Desire Doue. I’d go for one of them if I was Michael Carrick. It’s as simple as that,” he said. Yorke highlighted their versatility: left, right, wherever the attack needs them. In his mind, they are exactly the type of forwards United should target if Marcus Rashford’s future drifts into uncertainty.

“If Marcus Rashford doesn’t want to stick around, and who knows where his head is at, go and get Doue or Barcola. Those are the two players you should go get.”

That is the backdrop against which Arsenal must act. Wait too long, and they risk watching another high-end wide forward slip to a rival. Move now, and they must commit to reshaping an attack that already carries champions’ medals.

Alvarez: The £120m question

Barcola is not the only marquee name in Arsenal’s sights.

The club are also weighing up a move for Julián Álvarez, the Argentina forward who shared a World Cup final pitch with Lionel Messi in 2026 and came up just short of a second global crown. His stock, already high from his Manchester City days, has risen further at Atlético Madrid, where he has become a central figure in Diego Simeone’s attack.

A deal would not come cheap. A fee of around £120 million is being discussed. That is the level of commitment required to land a forward of Álvarez’s pedigree, and it would place him at the heart of Arteta’s frontline, potentially alongside Swedish striker Viktor Gyökeres.

Silvestre, again, did not hesitate when asked if Álvarez would be the right man to spearhead Arsenal’s next evolution.

“Below Messi for Argentina, he's the player that has been the most impactful,” he said. Coming from a former defender who faced some of the game’s greats, that is no small praise.

There is a complication. Álvarez has shown a loyalty that fits Atlético’s identity. As Silvestre pointed out, winning trophies there is a grind, and prising a key player away is never straightforward. “It looks like it's a player that is, I would say, very loyal. I don't know if he's ready to move. But what performances he's shown this season, he would be a great signing.”

Great signings, though, demand bold decisions. Arsenal cannot add both Barcola and Álvarez without significant exits. Trossard has already gone. Martinelli may follow. Others could yet be sacrificed.

Arteta and the Arsenal hierarchy now stand at a familiar crossroads for ambitious champions: protect what they have built, or gamble on a new, more ruthless version of themselves. With rival Premier League giants circling the same targets and the Champions League still just out of reach, how long can they afford to wait?