Former Arsenal defender Lee Dixon believes missing out on Vinicius Junior will not hurt the Gunners and has backed Marcus Rashford as a potential alternative.
Dixon believes Arsenal’s pursuit of Vinicius demonstrated their ambition even if the Brazil international ultimately committed his future to Real Madrid.
The former England international was speaking in an interview with BestBettingSites, where he discussed Rashford and the Gunners’ options on the left wing.
Arsenal make statement with Vinicius pursuit
Vinicius had been linked with Arsenal while negotiating a new contract at Real Madrid before eventually signing a six-year extension with the Spanish giants.
Dixon believes the Brazilian’s representatives may have used Arsenal’s interest during those negotiations, but insists the Gunners still benefited from making their intentions clear.
“Funny that, isn’t it? Yeah, I think Vinicius’ team were playing the game,” Dixon said.
“I don’t think Arsenal not getting him hurts us, and I actually think it did the club a lot of good to throw their hat in the ring because it shows real intent.”
Dixon believes Arsenal’s willingness to pursue an elite player sends an important message to their rivals.
“All of a sudden, people at Manchester City and Manchester United see Arsenal throwing their weight around,” Dixon added.
“It gives other teams a bit of a ‘wow’ moment – they’re thinking big, so we’ve got to step up too.”
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Dixon identifies Tzolis as alternative
Dixon also believes Arsenal should consider giving Christos Tzolis an opportunity on the left flank rather than immediately attempting to replace their pursuit of Vinicius with another major signing.
“I really like this kid. I think he’s that next level up from Trossard,” Dixon continued.
‘I’d like to see him in an Arsenal shirt’
Asked whether he would swap Myles Lewis-Skelly for Rashford, Dixon admitted he would consider the deal.
“Would I swap them? You know what, I probably would,” he said.
“With Marcus Rashford, he’s a player who needs an arm around his shoulder, and Arteta would be great for him.
“Give him that love, give him the freedom to play on that left side, and yeah, I’d like to see him in an Arsenal shirt.”
Dixon admitted he has reservations over Rashford’s consistency but believes the Manchester United forward could still strengthen Arsenal’s squad.
“I have my reservations about whether he’s consistently a top-class player, but based on what Arsenal have in the squad now, he’d be a good addition.”
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