Jamie Carragher says he knows the real reason why Arsenal didn't sign a new forward and he's spot on
Arsenal fans are really disappointed with their side’s transfer business this summer.
The Gunners signed Illan Meslier, Christos Tzolis, Bruno Guimaraes and Ezri Konsa, and all of them strengthen the squad.
However, the biggest priority in the now-closed window was to sign a marquee attacker, and Andrea Berta failed to deliver.
That has annoyed Arsenal supporters, but Jamie Carragher isn’t too worried because he knows why the champions did not sign a superstar forward.
Jamie Carragher is spot on about why Arsenal did not sign a marquee attacker
Arsenal already have an elite squad.
That was evident in the 2025/26 season, when they won the Premier League despite the fact that the likes of Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz missed large parts of the campaign due to injuries.
Arsenal definitely needed reinforcements in attack this summer, especially with the departures of Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus.
To Berta’s credit, he tried to land Morgan Rogers, Vinicius Jr and Julian Alvarez, but none of those deals was completed.
That has led to a lot of criticism from the fan base, but Carragher has just hit the nail on the head while explaining why Arsenal did not sign a marquee attacker.
"It's VERY difficult to improve Arsenal"
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 1, 2026
"They've got 7/8 out of 10 players, they wanted a 9 or 10/10 player"
Arsenal's lack of forward additions isn't an issue for Jamie Carragher 🔴 pic.twitter.com/3al8arW8SO
He said on Sky Sports: “They needed someone to be a game-changer. It looks like they tried to get Vinicius Jr and Alvarez as well from Atletico Madrid. That’s the calibre of player.
“It’s very difficult to improve Arsenal now. They are such a good team, such a good squad. You’re talking about a world-class player being the only one that can improve them.
“They’ve tried to get them, but they haven’t been able to get these deals over the line for whatever reason. So there’s no point just bringing in somebody on the level you’ve already got.
“They’ve got five or six players in that attack who are all 7-8/10 players. They just wanted that 9/10 or 10/10 player and couldn’t get it across the line.”
Arsenal have taken a big risk
Carragher is absolutely spot on: there were hardly any truly world-class players available on the market this summer apart from the ones Arsenal tried to sign.
Yes, it is extremely disappointing that none of Rogers, Vinicius or Alvarez joined, but apart from them, were there any realistic options who would truly guarantee success? We don’t think so.
That being said, Arsenal have taken a huge risk by replacing Martinelli, Jesus and Trossard with just Tzolis. They are definitely short of options in attack.
Mikel Arteta will be disappointed, but his aim will now be to get the best out of the players he has and keep them all fit.
Then, hopefully, Berta could work his magic and sign an elite forward in January.