Arsenal's Vinicius Junior failure suddenly doesn't feel so painful
The mood at Arsenal is dire. Admittedly, they did this to themselves by winning the Premier League, an achievement that completely raises the standard to the point where one loss feels like twenty.
However, it could have been worse for Arsenal. It feels completely blasphemous to say this, but they would probably have been worse if they had signed Vinicius Junior.
Vinicius Junior was the talking point of the summer for Arsenal. Despite the signings they made, there was an overwhelming feeling of 'what if'?
What if Arsenal signed Vini Jr.? Could they have raised the floor even more? Well, we know the answer to that now.
Arsenal fans can finally stop wondering 'what if?' about Vinicius Junior
Vini Jr. has been atrocious for Real Madrid this season. We know the standards are ludicrously high in the football capital, and every single touch is scrutinised more than a mother bear watches over her cubs, but even by a normal fan's perspective, he has been bad. Really bad, actually.
Players are allowed slow starts, but the tightrope is thinner at Real Madrid, particularly with their big earners. It has gotten to the point where it's almost unjustifiable for Jose Mourinho to continue using Vini Jr. in the starting lineup.
Real Madrid expert Hridyam Arora recently said, "Vinicius Junior has been in atrocious form this season... That is exactly why Alonso had a point... It makes no sense for him to continue in the lineup, regardless of how he feels about it, because this time, Vinicius Junior will have no leverage."
Mourinho trusted the Brazilian, and he was a major reason why Arsenal never got their dream signing. Judging by how poorly Vini Jr. has been this season, Mourinho probably did Arsenal a favour.
Arsenal needed a left-winger desperately, but Vini Jr. was not the answer. We only know this in hindsight, but we need to be completely honest, Arsenal need consistency, and Vini Jr. is one of the least consistent players on the planet.
When Vini Jr. is good, he's scorching hot. He is easily the best player on the planet when he's in form. However, the fact that his form always comes as a caveat and as a glaring asterisk means that the champions of the best league in the world cannot rely on him. Arsenal should have sooner taken someone with less technical ability but greater consistency.
In the end, Arsenal signed nobody. The woeful display against Brighton also signifies that the Gunners should have signed a left-winger, but alas.
The only silver lining from their lack of left-wing depth is that they did not sign Vini Jr. Could you imagine the uproar if he scored just one league goal for Arsenal at this stage? That's the kind of output he's having at Real Madrid.
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