Gary Neville: Julian Alvarez Could Make Arsenal Champions League Winners

Arsenal have opened their title defence with a swagger. Community Shield won against Manchester City, newly-promoted Coventry swept aside 3-0, the Emirates humming again.

Gary Neville thinks they’re still one signing short of something even bigger.

The Sky Sports pundit believes Arsenal would become Champions League winners if they somehow prise Julian Alvarez away from Atletico Madrid before the window closes.

“What a squad Mikel Arteta has built,” Neville said. “If he puts another forward into that, if they could get Julian Alvarez somehow, that would light this place up as you'd have a world-class striker to go with all the world-class defenders and midfielders.

“They wouldn't just become Premier League title winners, they'd go the next step and win a Champions League. It's a massive 10 days. He needs a bit of magic up front – someone that can win a game for you when you don't play well.”

Arsenal’s Missing Piece?

Arsenal are not alone in their admiration. Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain are also among the clubs monitoring Alvarez, an Argentina international whose stock has rocketed in recent seasons.

Atletico, though, have drawn a hard line. CEO Miguel Angel Gil said earlier in the summer they do not want to sell and would not even accept £170m for the forward.

Neville wants Arsenal to test that stance anyway. The feeling is clear: this squad is close, painfully close, to being complete.

Arteta Stays on Message

Arteta, as ever, tried to keep the conversation on the players already in his dressing room.

Speaking after the 3-0 win over Coventry, he stressed that “the main focus has to be to improve our players and the connection between them,” and pointed out how rarely Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Ben White were able to play together on the right last season because of injuries.

He sees growth from within. Neville sees a chance to bolt a superstar onto it.

And at the heart of that discussion sits Odegaard.

Odegaard’s Ceiling with a Killer No 9

Neville is convinced the Norwegian would hit another level with a striker like Alvarez in front of him.

“He is exceptional,” Neville said of Odegaard. “If there was an Ian Wright-type player up front for Arsenal who makes those short runs he'd be even better.

“As Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyokeres always come to the ball, Odegaard has to play possession rather than playing the slip passes. If Arsenal were to sign Julian Alvarez then he'd go up a level as it would be perfect for the style of play.”

Right now, Arsenal’s forwards often drop in, combine, recycle. Alvarez would offer something sharper, more ruthless, the kind of movement that turns half-chances into goals.

Carragher: World-Class Spark Still Missing

Jamie Carragher sees the same gap in the squad, even if he views the solution slightly differently.

“I still think Arsenal lack a world-class player in the front four,” he said. “About two years ago I thought Saka and Odegaard would make that next step. For whatever reason it's not happened due to injuries or Arsenal not being at their best.

“Those two were close to getting to the levels shown by Man City and Liverpool players, like Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland or Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane. They took their teams to the title.

“Arsenal won the league without Saka and Odegaard doing it. They did it by having a great defence and goalkeeper. But I still think Saka and Odegaard can get back to where they were a couple of years ago.”

Carragher’s twist is psychological. He believes the status of being champions can push this group on as much as any mega-signing.

“The psychological factor of being champions now will take this Arsenal team to another level rather than buying a superstar player,” he added.

New Faces, Old Talent, Fresh Edge

On the pitch, Arsenal’s attack already looks refreshed.

At the Emirates, Coventry felt the full force of a front line that suddenly has new angles. Christos Tzolis, a summer arrival many shrugged at, looked anything but a squad filler.

After a quiet first few minutes, he exploded into life – two shots and two chances created in a four-minute burst that flipped the tempo of the game. His energy down the left became a constant problem.

He was heavily involved in the two goals that killed the contest, first winning the ball high up the pitch for the opener, then supplying the cross for Saka to finish for the second. A “livewire” barely covers it.

And then there is Odegaard.

His start to the season has matched the hype. After a stunning display in the Community Shield, he opened his league account here, already matching last season’s Premier League tally – a campaign in which he missed 30 matches across all competitions.

This was only the second time since December 2024 that Saka, Odegaard and Havertz had started together. All three scored. All three looked sharp.

Odegaard, in this context, feels like a new signing himself. With three open-play goals already on the board, Arsenal’s attack has a different feel: quicker, more varied, more ruthless.

The question now hangs over north London: is this enough to conquer Europe, or will Arsenal gamble in the final days of the window and chase the kind of “magic” Neville insists only a striker like Julian Alvarez can bring?