'Gutted!' - Ian Wright claims Mikel Arteta would NOT be happy with Arsenal summer transfer after failing to sign Chelsea star

Arsenal enjoyed a productive summer window, bringing in Bruno Guimaraes, Ezri Konsa, and Christos Tzolis to bolster their squad. However, the club struggled to recruit the elite forward Arteta desired. Their shortcomings in attack were exposed during May's Champions League final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, prompting a search for a difference-maker.

Despite extensive efforts, the Gunners were repeatedly rebuffed in the market. Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr rejected a move in favour of a new contract in Spain, while Julian Alvarez held out for Barcelona despite Arsenal's persistent negotiations with Atletico Madrid.

The most painful miss, however, was Morgan Rogers. Initially identified as a primary target, the 24-year-old slipped through Arsenal's fingers. Following England's World Cup exit, Chelsea hijacked the situation, securing the attacker for an eye-watering £117 million.

Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, Wright expressed his dismay at Arsenal's failure to secure a top-tier attacker. He suggested that Arteta will share his frustration, especially after clearly identifying the need for reinforcements following their European heartbreak against PSG.

"It’s not a disastrous window but if I’m Mikel, I wouldn’t be happy with how this window has gone simply because we’ve gone another window where we have not got that forward," Wright said. "Mikel has talked about getting players to take us to that level, he did it again after Paris, where we didn’t have that player to break them. That is the player Mikel wanted. They chased Vini until the end of the earth and left Morgan Rogers dangling."

The former Gunners striker also theorised that Arsenal's very public pursuit of Vinicius Jr may have alienated Rogers. He believes the Chelsea signing would have happily moved to the Emirates Stadium had the club prioritised him.

"There’s something that’s happened with Arsenal with the way they were going for Vini," Wright added. "If you’re a player and you see a team going for him, you think, 'I thought they were interested in me?'. Chelsea thought, well if you’re not going to pay it, we’ll pay it. I’m gutted, I would have loved him to come."

While fellow pundit Gary Neville argued that Arsenal already possess enough firepower, Wright remained adamant that Rogers was exactly the profile of player Arteta craved. Even with Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, and Kai Havertz returning to action, the lack of a clinical edge could prove costly.

"I think we did need Rogers," Wright continued. "You say we have got those types of players but that is what Mikel wanted. It is a position where we need that player. He is the one we were linked with ages ago and he would have loved to have come, I can feel it."

Arsenal's inability to finalise deals for Rogers, Alvarez, or Vinicius Jr leaves them heavily reliant on their existing forward line. The pressure will now be on Arteta to extract even more from a squad that has already delivered domestic success.

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