Jose Mourinho reveals what he told Vinicius Jr that made him snub Arsenal and stay at Real Madrid
Arsenal’s pursuit of Vinicius Jr was one of the biggest stories of the summer transfer window.
The Gunners decided to act like Premier League champions and made a move to sign the Brazilian, who is among the best players on the planet.
Vinicius even agreed terms over a move to Arsenal in case he decided to leave Real Madrid, but in the end, the Galacticos improved their contract offer and convinced him to stay.
Jose Mourinho played a role behind the scenes too.
How Jose Mourinho convinced Vinicius Jr to snub Arsenal and stay at Real Madrid
Every manager in world football would want Vinicius Jr in their team, and Mourinho is no different.
The Special One returned to Real Madrid this summer, and the last thing he wanted was to lose one of their superstars before the season began.
Arsenal’s interest in Vinicius was very serious, and they were prepared to pay him an absolute fortune had he agreed to come.
Real Madrid, however, improved their proposal in the end, and a conversation with Mourinho convinced the Brazil international to stay.
The new Los Blancos boss was asked by El Chiringuito TV about his role in convincing Vinicius to extend his contract at the Bernabeu.
He replied: “Vini renewed thanks to me? No, no. Of course I talked to him.
“I told him: ‘Vini, you only know Madrid. You came from Brazil straight to Madrid. When you leave this club, only then will you realise how big it is. So don’t leave. It’s not worth it.’
“He is in a really good place now.”
Arsenal are still struggling to sign a new left-winger
It was always going to be difficult to snatch a player like Vinicius away from Real Madrid in his prime, and it didn’t happen in the end.
Arsenal deserve enormous praise for trying, but it seems like they put all their eggs in one basket.
The Gunners are not close to signing any other high-profile left-winger at the moment, and they are set to start the new season with Christos Tzolis in that role.
There’s still over a week left in the transfer window, so there is still time for Andrea Berta to bring somebody in.
However, as things stand, Arsenal may not sign anyone in that position.
