Arsenal Eyes Mitoma After Vinicius Jr. Transfer Miss

Arsenal's attempt to sign Vinicius Jr. from Real Madrid this summer proved unsuccessful, as the player extended his contract with the Spanish club. Following this failed pursuit, former Chelsea player Tony Cascarino has proposed that Arsenal consider Brighton & Hove Albion winger Kaoru Mitoma. Cascarino noted that while Mitoma has experienced injuries and a less productive recent season, he possesses the potential to be a "scarily good" and dangerous winger.

Mitoma's fitness has been a concern; he missed the 2026 FIFA World Cup due to a hamstring injury. The 29-year-old winger is reportedly still working towards full fitness and is anticipated to miss the beginning of the upcoming Premier League season. Despite these concerns, Cascarino sees Mitoma as a player who could significantly enhance Arsenal's attacking capabilities if he can remain injury-free.

In other news, Arsenal recently suffered consecutive defeats in pre-season matches. The team lost 3-2 to Dortmund at the Emirates after a previous 3-1 loss to Real Betis. Dortmund took an early lead through Samuele Inacio and extended it with Konstantinos Karestas. Although Arsenal pulled one back via Ethan Nwaneri, Dortmund re-established their two-goal advantage before Viktor Gyokeres converted a penalty. Gabriel Martinelli had a late equalizer disallowed for offside.