Gary Neville believes Arsenal would go from Premier League champions to genuine Champions League winners if they can land Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez before the transfer window closes. The comments came after Arsenal followed up their Community Shield win over Manchester City with a commanding 3-0 victory over newly-promoted Coventry on the opening night of the season.
Neville’s Case for Alvarez
Despite Arsenal’s impressive start, Neville argued the squad still needs a touch of magic up front, and believes Alvarez is the player capable of providing exactly that. Arsenal are among several major clubs credited with interest in the Argentina international, alongside Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, though Atletico chief executive Miguel Angel Gil said earlier in the summer the club has no intention of selling Alvarez, even for an offer as high as £170 million. Neville encouraged Arsenal to test that resolve regardless, viewing it as a genuine opportunity to take the club to the next level.
He praised the squad Mikel Arteta has built overall, but argued that adding a genuine world-class forward alongside Arsenal’s already elite defence and midfield could be the difference between winning the league again and finally winning the Champions League. Neville described the closing days of the window as hugely significant for Arsenal’s ambitions, stressing the value of having a player capable of individually deciding a game when the team isn’t at its best.
How Alvarez Could Elevate Odegaard
Speaking after the Coventry win, Arteta stressed that Arsenal’s main priority remains developing the connections between his existing players, pointing out how limited the opportunities were last season for Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Ben White to play significant minutes together down the right due to injuries.
Neville, though, believes Odegaard specifically would become even more dangerous alongside a striker with Alvarez’s movement, comparing the profile to a classic poacher-style forward who consistently finds space in behind. He suggested that with forwards like Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyokeres often dropping into build-up play, Odegaard is currently required to prioritise keeping possession rather than always playing the incisive pass through defensive lines something Neville believes Alvarez’s style would unlock perfectly.
Carragher: “Arsenal Lack a World-Class Player in the Front Four”
Fellow pundit Jamie Carragher shared Neville’s broader view that Arsenal are still missing a genuine standout presence in the final third, though he noted encouraging signs that Saka and Odegaard are edging back toward the levels that once had many tipping them to reach the heights of players like Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland, Mohamed Salah or Sadio Mane forwards capable of single-handedly carrying a team to the title.
Carragher pointed out that Arsenal won last season’s title without either player hitting those peak levels, relying instead on outstanding defensive organisation and goalkeeping but he remains convinced both can rediscover their best form. He also suggested that simply carrying the psychological weight and confidence of being reigning champions could lift this Arsenal team further, potentially even more than any single new signing.
Analysis: Odegaard and Tzolis Already Rejuvenating Arsenal’s Attack
Sky Sports’ Sam Blitz argued that, for all the transfer-window noise around missed targets like Vinicius Junior and Morgan Rogers, Arsenal’s summer business has actually been stronger than given credit for. Christos Tzolis looked a genuine find down the left, growing into the game after a quiet opening five minutes to register two shots and two created chances inside a four-minute spell, before playing a key role in both of Arsenal’s first two goals winning the ball high up the pitch for the opener and delivering the cross for Saka’s finish.
Odegaard’s own start to the season also stood out, following his standout Community Shield display with his first league goal of the campaign already matching his total from last season, a campaign in which injuries cost him 30 matches across all competitions. Notably, this was only the second time since December 2024 that Saka, Odegaard and Havertz had all started a match together and all three scored against Coventry. Blitz suggested Odegaard’s early form feels almost like a new signing in itself, and with three open-play goals on the board already, Arsenal are already starting to look like a genuinely different attacking side.
Quick Facts: Arsenal’s Alvarez Pursuit
- Alvarez’s club: Atletico Madrid
- Reported Atletico valuation: Reportedly won’t sell for £170m
- Other interested clubs: Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain
- Odegaard’s 2026/27 tally so far: 1 goal (already matching his injury-hit 2025/26 total)
- Saka/Odegaard/Havertz starting together: Only 2nd time since December 2024
