Vinicius Junior to Arsenal: Would he work? Tactical fit, pressing demands and Mikel Arteta's system analysed

The quality of Arsenal's imaginable determination for Vinicius Junior has been 1 of the biggest shot stories successful caller weeks, with the anticipation of bringing successful 1 of the game's biggest names understandably breathtaking supporters.

The Gunners missed retired connected signing Morgan Rogers, who yet joined Premier League rivals Chelsea for £117m, leaving Mikel Arteta's broadside inactive without the marquee attacking summation they had been chasing.

Although Arsenal signed Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge, reports that the Premier League champions are exploring a determination for Vinicius lone accrued speculation that they were prepared to marque a large concern successful the position, particularly with the Brazilian entering the last twelvemonth of his declaration astatine Real Madrid.

Since those reports emerged, questions person been raised implicit if a woody is realistic, including whether Arsenal could spend a subordinate of the 26-year-old's illustration and whether his benignant would genuinely acceptable Arteta's tactical demands.

With that successful mind, Sports Mole takes a person look astatine whether the Brazilian winger is the close acceptable for Arsenal's system.

Vinicius Junior Arsenal: The tactical acceptable occupation being overlooked

On the surface, Vinicius Junior looks similar an evident acceptable for Arteta's Arsenal, with his pace, dribbling quality and question into abstraction making him an charismatic option.

However, that presumption overlooks conscionable however structured the Gunners’ strategy is, wherever each player's presumption successful possession is cautiously planned and conscionable arsenic important defensively arsenic it is successful attack.

At Real Madrid, Vinicius has been fixed acold greater freedom, regularly drifting betwixt the touchline and the wrong transmission portion his teammates set their positions to supply the width helium leaves behind.

Arsenal's near broadside besides rotates, but successful a acold much structured way, with Riccardo Calafiori stepping into midfield during the aboriginal stages of build-up earlier overlapping erstwhile the winger moves inside, depending connected the signifier of play alternatively than idiosyncratic preference.

That could make a tactical situation for Vinicius, whose earthy crippled is built astir attacking the spaces helium sees alternatively than pursuing the positional demands of Arteta's system.

Piero Hincapie is arguably the left-back champion suited to that freedom, arsenic helium is comfy staying wide and getting to the byline, allowing the Brazilian to drift wrong without leaving the flank exposed.

Calafiori, by contrast, is astatine his astir invaluable erstwhile stepping into cardinal areas to springiness the Gunners an other antheral successful midfield during the build-up, which has go 1 of the defining features of Arteta's system.

As a result, signing Vinicius could unit Arsenal into sacrificing 1 of their preferred build-up patterns, arsenic accommodating his state connected the near would apt mean leaning distant from the inverted full-back role.

Vinicius Junior Arsenal: The pressing demands helium has ne'er had to meet

As referenced successful the erstwhile section, Arteta's strategy is built astir control, with each subordinate expected to support the team's operation some successful and retired of possession, portion Arsenal person besides developed into 1 of the Premier League's astir assertive pressing sides.

The Gunners' rubric occurrence was built connected a antiaircraft grounds that begins precocious up the transportation alternatively than wrong their ain box, with the velocity astatine which they triumph the shot backmost aft losing possession cardinal to however Arteta wants his forwards to operate.

Vinicius has ne'er consistently played successful a strategy that demands that level of antiaircraft responsibility, and Xabi Alonso's effort to present those principles astatine Real Madrid became nationalist capable for him to code his forwards done the media, stressing that each 11 players had to lend defensively. 

The information that Alonso felt the request to marque those comments was telling, and Madrid's eventual solution was not to proceed pushing the aforesaid demands, with Alvaro Arbeloa arriving successful January and gathering his attack astir maximising his players' idiosyncratic strengths alternatively than forcing them into a strict framework.

Arteta, however, has ne'er been acrophobic to enforce his standards careless of a player's reputation, having antecedently moved connected Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang implicit disciplinary issues alternatively than a deficiency of talent.

Whether Vinicius adapts to those demands, oregon whether Arsenal would request to marque the aforesaid benignant of tactical compromises Madrid yet did, is 1 of the biggest questions immoderate imaginable determination would raise.

Vinicius Junior astatine Arsenal: The lawsuit for the Brazilian

For each the arguments of Vinicius' imaginable downsides astatine Arsenal, not galore Gunners faithful volition entity to the Brazilian making a determination to the Emirates, and it comes arsenic small astonishment for a winger that has recovered the nett astatine slightest 20 times crossed the past 5 seasons.

That is not a tally galore Arsenal attackers person managed to rack up successful caller years, arsenic lone Viktor Gyokeres, who arrived past summer, and Bukayo Saka person managed it erstwhile each successful that period.

Availability has seldom been the contented with Vinicius either, and portion Madrid's punishing docket has occasionally forced spells retired done wounded successful erstwhile years, helium hardly missed a lucifer done fittingness problems past season.

Vinicius besides has a wont of showing up precisely erstwhile it matters most, thing Arsenal person not enjoyed astir capable of successful caller years, with his unthinkable grounds successful finals making the lawsuit for a prime that could person proved decisive for the Gunners past term.

Arsenal mislaid some the EFL Cup and Champions League finals past term, scoring conscionable erstwhile crossed some showpieces, and so having a subordinate with Vinicius’ abilities could person proved decisive.

Vinicius Junior to Arsenal: The verdict

Vinicius remains 1 of the champion wingers successful satellite football, and with conscionable 1 twelvemonth near connected his Real Madrid contract, Arsenal person a uncommon accidental to motion a subordinate who would usually beryllium astir intolerable to prise away.

That declaration concern leaves Madrid successful a weaker negotiating position, arsenic allowing a subordinate of the Brazilian's prime to permission for thing would beryllium unthinkable, meaning Vinicius’s imaginable interest could autumn good beneath his existent marketplace worth astatine a clip erstwhile little proven players are attracting tremendous transportation sums.

The 26-year-old is not without weaknesses, peculiarly erstwhile it comes to adapting to a much structured system, but the operation of his declaration concern and proven quality astatine the highest level makes him a unsocial opportunity.

Having already played a cardinal relation successful Real Madrid's 2 Champions League triumphs, signing Vinicius would springiness Arsenal different world-class attacker and fortify their content that they tin yet instrumentality the last measurement towards European glory.