The £87m superstar winger Arsenal must steal on 1st January with season's transfer business far from done

Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat to Liverpool confirmed what the opening three games of the Premier League season had already suggested - despite all the firepower added in the summer transfer window, a ruthlessness is missing.

The loss ended a record run of 22 games unbeaten against ‘Big Six’ opponents but in that time the closest Arsenal have got to a trophy excluding the Community Shield is two Champions League semi-finals and second place confirmed on the final day of the 2023/24 Premier League.

For most clubs that would be a fine return, and in the biggest competitions it’s an improvement on the run Arsenal endured from Arsene Wenger’s final season until Mikel Arteta really gained traction, when the Gunners routinely missed out on Champions League qualification.

But the demand for trophies has grown year-on-year and is now close to boiling point, a backdrop against which the beginning of the Premier League season is certainly worrying. That victory at Old Trafford is looking less and less impressive with every minute more than Manchester United play while blowing out Leeds at home is hardly an achievement.

A stuttering performance against Liverpool and yet another injury to Bukayo Saka only adds to the air of worry at the Emirates and all Arsenal’s potential title rivals appear to have improved over the summer, in contrast to previous seasons.

All that means success in the cup competitions could be more important than ever to Arteta and there is one man likely to be on the market in January that can come closer to guaranteeing that than almost any other - Real Madrid’s Rodrygo.

Big-game Rodrygo the antidote for Arsenal

In stark contrast to Arsenal’s last six years, Rodrygo’s story at Real Madrid has been about moments and silverware rather than consistent yet trophyless excellence. It’s perhaps unsurprising that a player who scored a hat-trick on his home Champions League debut has thrived on the biggest stage so often, and Real Madrid wouldn’t have won either of their most recent pair of European crowns without the Brazilian.

Rodrygo has notched 18 goals in senior knockout football including match-altering Champions League strikes against Manchester City, Chelsea and Atletico Madrid while he was wholly responsible for his side’s goals in the victorious 2023 Copa del Rey final. Add to that three goals in El Classico matchups with Barcelona and Rodrygo is building a reputation in big knockout games akin to Didier Drogba, one which Arsenal sorely need.

While Rodrygo has never been prolific domestically - he’s yet to top 10 league goals in a season or hit doubles figures for assists - Arsenal have enough firepower to mitigate for that.

Eze can’t stop Arsenal exploiting Real Madrid’s wastefulness

Eze is an excellent player but while the former Arsenal academy player’s heart ultimately won out in his transfer saga, he may have been better suited to Tottenham. Only around a quarter of the 27-year-old’s career appearances have come on the left flank and he’ll want to target the half-space which is fine if left-footed Riccardo Calafiori is playing but less ideal if Arteta selects Myles Lewis-Skelly who also thrives cutting in.

So instead of Eze making the left-wing position his own, he may ultimately be a luxury utility player at the Emirates, and Arteta could definitely upgrade on the Englishman as a long-term left winger. Rodrygo’s downfall at Real Madrid is pretty baffling given it’s been under two managers and he seems to obviously offer something different to Los Blancos’ other forward options, particularly out of possession.

It’s genuinely sad to see the love he holds for the club and his determination to stay and fight for a place get washed out by the cold shoulders of Carlo Ancelotti and Xabi Alonso, but Rodrygo remains a world class player and can certainly find success away from the Bernabeu.

Real Madrid were demanding €100 million (£87m) for Rodrygo and given he still has three years on his contract, that price tag is unlikely to come down by much in the space of a few months.

But for a player who can and will strike in the biggest matches, to a club that is desperate to fill out its trophy cabinet and should be fighting on four fronts by January 2026, it should be money well spent.