Arsenal's Strategic Shift: Trossard's Exit and the Pursuit of Barcola
Leandro Trossard’s quiet exit from north London says plenty about where Arsenal are heading. A winger who scored crucial goals in a title-winning campaign has been moved on to Besiktas, and with him goes another piece of Mikel Arteta’s first great side.
He is unlikely to be the last.
Gabriel Martinelli, once the embodiment of Arsenal’s raw, fearless energy, now finds his own future under the microscope. The Brazilian is no longer untouchable. With the club hunting fresh firepower and room in the squad at a premium, a serious offer could push Arsenal towards a sale. Sentiment will not stand in the way of evolution.
This is a calculated reset in one of the most decisive areas of the pitch. Arsenal want more goals, more variety, more Champions League pedigree as they look at 2026-27 not just as a season to defend a title, but as a chance to finally conquer Europe.
Barcola on the radar
Which is where Bradley Barcola comes in.
The PSG winger has already felt like a problem for Arsenal once. His performances helped Paris Saint-Germain crush the Gunners’ Champions League dreams in 2025-26, as the French champions claimed back-to-back European crowns. On the biggest stage, alongside Kylian Mbappé and Michael Olise for France at the World Cup, Barcola did not shrink. He grew.
Yet he is not a guaranteed starter at PSG. In a squad stacked with attacking talent – Desire Doue, Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – every game is an audition. At 23, under contract only until 2028, he sits in that sweet spot where a serious bid forces a conversation in Paris.
Temptation may not be far away. The 2026 summer window is open, and Arsenal, a club with a long history of raiding France for stars, are being pushed to test PSG’s resolve.
Mikael Silvestre, who knows both Arsenal and French football inside out, sees almost no downside. Speaking to GOAL, the former defender did not hesitate when asked if Barcola would be a smart addition to Arteta’s champions. For him, the fit is obvious: a young player entering his prime, already proven with PSG and the national team, walking into a project built to retain the Premier League title and finally lift the Champions League. From Silvestre’s point of view, it is a “green light…100%.”
Premier League battle for a French jewel
Arsenal are not alone in that assessment.
Liverpool are staring at the looming reality of life after Mohamed Salah and need a wide forward who can both create and finish at Anfield. Manchester United, back in the Champions League and short on reliable end product, are trawling the same waters.
Former United striker Dwight Yorke has already nailed his colours to the mast. He told GOAL he would go straight to Paris for either Barcola or Desire Doue if he were in charge at Old Trafford. The attraction is obvious: both can play off the left, off the right, and shift wherever the attack needs them. In Yorke’s mind, if Marcus Rashford’s future remains uncertain, United should not hesitate. Go and get one of them. Go and get goals, versatility, and players who deliver.
That is the competitive landscape Arsenal are operating in. Move early, or risk watching a potential long-term solution light up a rival’s frontline.
Alvarez the marquee option
Barcola is not the only name on Arsenal’s attacking shortlist.
The club are also weighing up a huge move for Julian Alvarez, the Argentina star who reached the 2026 World Cup final alongside Lionel Messi but fell just short of a second global title. Now leading the line for Atletico Madrid, Alvarez has grown into one of the most influential figures in the Albiceleste setup.
Silvestre’s admiration for him is clear. Below Messi, he sees Alvarez as Argentina’s most impactful player. That is not a throwaway line; it is a measure of how highly the forward is rated at international level.
Atletico, though, are a different kind of challenge. Winning trophies there is never straightforward, and Alvarez has had to graft in a system that demands discipline before glamour. A £120 million deal would be required to prise him away, and there are questions over whether his loyalty to Atletico would allow such a move. Silvestre admits he does not know if Alvarez is ready to leave, but he is in no doubt about the quality on offer. On this season’s performances, he believes, Alvarez would be a “great signing” for Arsenal, especially alongside Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres.
Put Alvarez next to Gyokeres and suddenly Arsenal’s attack looks like it belongs to a club intent on dominating Europe, not just England.
A ruthless new phase
All of this points to a ruthless new phase in Arteta’s rebuild. Trossard has already gone. Martinelli could yet follow if Arsenal decide that the next level demands a different profile of wide forward. Barcola offers pace, unpredictability and Champions League scars earned at Arsenal’s expense. Alvarez brings a World Cup pedigree and the mentality of a player used to carrying responsibility for club and country.
The question is not whether Arsenal will change their attack. That process has already started.
The real question is which superstar they choose to build the next version of it around.
