Arsenal assistant manager Miguel Molina has confirmed the Premier League side discussed the possibility of signing Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior in the summer.
The Gunners were keen on bringing the forward to the Emirates, who then had a year left on his contract. There were disagreements between the 26-year-old and Real Madrid over the renewal.
Arsenal sensed an opportunity and wanted to secure the Brazil international’s services.
The La Liga side, most likely at José Mourinho’s insistence, ended up offering him a new contract. On August 6th, Vinícius signed an extension until 2032, which in turn, ended the Gunners’ hope of acquiring his signature.
Renewal stopped Arsenal advances
The north London club appointed Mikel Arteta as their manager in December 2019. In August 2020, Miguel Molina joined his compatriot’s backroom staff, and he was the latest guest on Radio Marca‘s La Tribu.
Presenter Pablo Villa specifically asked Arteta’s assistant about Arsenal’s interest in the Real Madrid star.
Responding to that, he said: “Yes, of course. Obviously, I can’t stray from the facts, but he [Vinícius] was a name that was on the table, yes.”
The decision to offer him an extension hasn’t worked out in Real Madrid’s favour just yet. He has a goal and three assists from eight matches and has gone close to a month without scoring.
Earlier this week, the Spanish media pinpointed the Arsenal interest as one of the reasons for Vinícius Júnior’s mixed start to the season.
‼️ Welcome to INTERNATIONAL BREAK BINGO
🇫🇷 Will there be French mutiny?
🇦🇷 Should we expect Argentina tears?
❓Who will say something stupid and claim mistranslation?
🩺 Which big new signing will get injured?
▶️ Play along… 👇https://t.co/J3ZDwQEYs4— Sport Witness (@Sport_Witness) September 24, 2026
Arteta’s importance to Arsenal
The 33-year-old also explained to the Spanish media what, according to him, is Mikel Arteta’s greatest strength.
“He’s the first to arrive, the last to leave. He’s very intense, a super demanding guy,” Miguel Molina explained.
“His best quality is that he’s able to bring out the best in the people around him, both the players and the staff, because ultimately he’s the greatest example of hard work and quality in that work.”
On Arsenal’s culture, he added: “It’s a team that has a strong sense of what it means to be a team. What camaraderie is, what it means to be a family, understanding that the collective comes before anything else.”
The assistant also talked about Arsenal’s Spanish midfield duo on Martín Zubimendi and Mikel Merino.
“Zubimendi’s greatest strength is his adaptability, allowing him to perform in any position on the field,” Molina said.
“For me, he [Merino] is like a coach on the field. He can play as a number 9, a number 8, a number 10, even a number 6 if necessary.”
