Arsenal’s Premier League title dreams suffered a major blow on Sunday afternoon as they slumped to a stunning 3-2 home defeat against Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners took an early lead through an own goal by United’s Lisandro Martinez in the 29th minute, but the Red Devils fought back brilliantly. Bryan Mbeumo equalised in the 37th minute after intercepting a sloppy pass, Patrick Dorgu put United ahead shortly after half-time with a stunning strike, and despite Mikel Merino’s late equaliser, Matheus Cunha curled in a magnificent 87th-minute winner to seal a dramatic comeback victory.
The result cuts Arsenal’s lead at the top to just four points, with Manchester City and Aston Villa now breathing down their necks on 46 points each. This first home defeat of the season comes at a critical time, denting Mikel Arteta’s side as they chase a first league title since 2004.
Adding fuel to the fire, former England striker and Match of the Day host Gary Lineker has dropped a transfer bombshell on Monday’s The Rest Is Football podcast. He urged Arsenal to make a shock £81m move for Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez, insisting the World Cup winner is “not entirely happy” in Spain and would be the perfect fit to fire the Gunners to glory.
Lineker didn’t hold back as he analysed Arsenal’s ongoing attacking struggles: “They’ve not got anyone really banging in the goals on a regular basis. Gabriel Jesus has come back and scored one or two, but there was a reason they needed to sign a new No.9 in the first place.
“I like Jesus and always have, and he’s got a great work ethic, he chases and harries and gets a few goals. He’s a bit streaky – when he’s on he’s on, but when he’s off he’s a bit of a confidence player.
“It’s probably complete [nonsense] as most of these things are on social media, but I saw they were linked with Julian Alvarez, who I know is not entirely happy with life at Atletico.
“Now that’s the sort of player you know can handle the big occasion, he’s a World Cup winner for crying out loud. Someone like that at Arsenal would be game over. But they do need one or two of these current forwards to start scoring on a reasonably regular basis.”
Arsenal’s summer signings have yet to deliver consistently. Viktor Gyokeres, who arrived in a £64m deal from Sporting, has looked unconvincing in front of goal, while fellow new arrival Eberechi Eze has failed to score in the league since November. Remarkably, own goals from opponents rank as the Gunners’ third-highest scorer this season – a stark illustration of their blunt attack.
Lineker’s comments come amid reports that Arsenal discussed a move for the former Manchester City striker last summer. Alvarez, who helped Argentina win the 2022 World Cup, has a proven big-game pedigree and could transform Arteta’s frontline if a deal materialises.
Arteta has hinted at openness to January additions to address injuries and squad depth, saying last month: “The window is there and I mean we’re Arsenal and we have to be looking at it; ‘Okay, what do we need’? And we have to be actively looking… But our job is to always be very prepared because something can happen.
“When you look across the other clubs, they have 24 or 25 squad players. Although we have had more injuries than expected, some of them not avoidable. We want to be better and we know how important the part of having the right availability with players is going to be this season.”
However, major business this month appears unlikely, with the focus potentially shifting to the summer for a blockbuster move like Alvarez.
If Lineker gets his wish, the £81m-rated Argentine could prove the missing piece – a ruthless finisher built for the Premier League’s biggest stages. For now, Arsenal must regroup quickly, but the pressure is mounting.
Would Julian Alvarez be the game-changer Arsenal desperately need? The north London faithful will be hoping for fireworks in the transfer market soon.