Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard has expressed his delight that Arsenal failed to sign Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez during the summer transfer window. The Gunners, who won their first league title since 2004 last season, were keen to add the Argentine to their squad but saw the move fall through.
Arsenal's Summer Transfer Activity
Arsenal bolstered their squad with the signings of Bruno Guimaraes, Ezri Konsa, and Christos Tzolis, but they were unable to land a marquee attacking target. The club explored a move for Vinicius Junior, who rejected their interest to sign a new contract at Real Madrid, while Morgan Rogers chose to join Chelsea instead.
Julian Alvarez was another key target, but he publicly expressed his desire to join Barcelona. Atletico Madrid made it clear they would not sanction a sale to their rivals, and Alvarez never seemed keen on a move to Arsenal.
Gerrard and McManaman Weigh In
Speaking on TNT Sports, Gerrard said: 'I understand his point of view, but Atletico Madrid don’t want to strengthen a rival and be a feeder club to the teams you can compete domestically with and in the Champions League, so you can understand it from a club point of view as well. I’m just glad he didn’t go to Arsenal, I’ll just leave that one there!'
Fellow former Liverpool player Steve McManaman went further, insisting there was never any chance that Alvarez would have signed for the Gunners. 'He was never going to go, as if he wants to go to Arsenal,' McManaman said. 'He wanted to go to Barcelona; he came out and said that, but they’re not going to strengthen a rival.'
Atletico's Stance and Alvarez's Future
McManaman added: 'Atletico Madrid paid £82million to Manchester City, he’s still got four years left on his contract. Let’s be honest, he’s got a cheek saying I want to leave and go to Barcelona when they are, apart from Real Madrid, your closest rivals. So it was imperative that Atletico Madrid stood their ground and said no but he has to prove it to the fans and his teammates that he’s fully invested back in the team.'
Alvarez failed to get on the scoresheet at Anfield as his Atletico side lost 2-1 to Liverpool, but Gerrard remains confident that the Argentine can quickly win the Atletico fanbase back over again. 'I think he’s got the manager’s trust and the manager’s backing and a goal and a good performance can obviously change a lot of things,' Gerrard added. 'But it will still be in the back of his head that maybe the chance of his dream move is gone and could be gone forever. But he’s a top player, very exciting, very clever and it’s no shock that he’s wanted around the world. He’s a goalscorer, he’s inventive; I love watching him.'
