Arsenal lack a Vinicius Junior-style threat to win the Champions League, says Paul Merson

Former Arsenal midfielder and Sky Sports analyst Paul Merson says Arsenal do not yet possess the “frightening” attacking player needed to win the Champions League, despite their outstanding defensive strength.

Merson believes Arsenal have enough quality to challenge for the Premier League title but lack a decisive forward capable of unsettling Europe’s biggest clubs. Writing in his analysis before Arsenal’s meeting with Napoli, he compared the profile Arsenal need with Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior and Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez.

“Arsenal’s record in the Champions League last year was remarkable, and they will be strong contenders again, but I do not think they have signed the influential player who can take them to another level,” Merson wrote.

“They have enough to win the Premier League, but their attack lacks the decisive element against the biggest teams. If they had a player like Vinicius Junior or Julian Alvarez, that would have given them the advantage needed to win the Champions League.”

Merson was also keen to praise Kai Havertz, while warning that the Germany international may not provide the level of goalscoring required to take Arsenal to European glory.

“I am a huge admirer of him. He is hardworking, excellent and makes the right decisions, but he will not score 20 goals in a season,” said Merson. “To lead them to the league title, there is no doubt he is top class, but Europe requires something else.”

The former Arsenal player also identified what he regards as a psychological weakness in the club’s current attack. He argued that Arsenal do not yet make defenders feel the same level of fear as the best attacking sides in Europe.

“When Arsenal face teams such as Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain in the later rounds, the centre-back and full-backs wake up in the morning and say to their team-mates: ‘I did not sleep well last night; I am a little worried about who I am going to face,’” Merson said.

“I do not see that with Arsenal. Perhaps Bukayo Saka is the exception, but they are missing that frightening element.”

Merson referred to last year’s Champions League final as evidence of Arsenal’s attacking limitations, saying they lacked the pace required to threaten effectively while Paris Saint-Germain applied sustained pressure.

“Arsenal did not have enough speed in attack, while Paris Saint-Germain pressed aggressively and did not allow them to play out of their area,” he said.

Despite his concerns over Arsenal’s forwards, Merson described the team’s defensive structure as exceptionally strong. He said their size, physicality and organisation make them extremely difficult to break down.

“They are a huge and very solid team. It is extremely difficult even to get a shot away against them, let alone score,” he said.

“Chelsea went there with one of the best attacking trios in the league and scored after 77 seconds, but I cannot remember them looking capable of scoring another goal. That shows how dominant Arsenal are at the moment.”

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