Arsenal Targets Antonio Nusa for Left Flank Reinforcement
Arsenal’s title defence has barely begun on the training pitches, but the recruitment drive on the left flank is already in full sprint.
Leandro Trossard is gone, Besiktas his new home, and with that departure Mikel Arteta has been left with a glaring imbalance in his attack. Gabriel Martinelli now stands as the only established, natural left winger in the squad. For a side intent on defending a Premier League crown and going deep in Europe, that is nowhere near enough.
So Arsenal are moving. Aggressively.
Arsenal step into the Nusa race
The latest target is Antonio Nusa, the RB Leipzig winger whose stock has rocketed off the back of a standout 2026 World Cup. Arsenal are preparing an opening bid of around €40 million (£34 million) for the Norway international, a figure that signals serious intent but may not yet be enough.
Leipzig are in no rush to sell. The Bundesliga club are understood to value the 21-year-old closer to €60 million (£52 million), a price that reflects both his current impact and his ceiling. At that number, any deal becomes a test of how badly Arsenal want him — and how far they are prepared to push their summer budget.
Nusa has earned this attention. He helped drive Norway to the quarter-finals at this summer’s tournament and lit up the competition with a stunning solo goal against Ivory Coast, the kind of moment that turns a promising youngster into a genuine market asset. Quick, direct, and utterly unafraid of taking on his man, he plays like someone who believes every defender is beatable.
Arsenal are not alone in that assessment.
Liverpool lurking in the background
Liverpool have tracked Nusa for some time and see him as a more attainable option than Yan Diomande, after their move for Diomande’s Leipzig teammate collapsed. For them, Nusa represents a blend of upside and relative affordability in a market where proven wide forwards cost eye-watering money.
That sets up a familiar Premier League battle. Two clubs with attacking traditions, both needing to refresh their wide options, circling the same emerging star. If Leipzig hold firm on their valuation, the outcome may come down to who blinks first — or who walks away.
For Arsenal, the calculation is nuanced. Nusa is 21. He is electric, raw, and still learning. He would arrive as both a weapon and a project.
Different profiles, same problem
Arteta’s need on the left is not theoretical. With Trossard gone, Martinelli cannot be asked to carry the entire load across a season that will stretch from August to May, with league, Europe and domestic cups all demanding different tactical looks and different levels of rotation.
Nusa offers something Arsenal’s left flank has lacked since Trossard’s exit: variety. He brings explosive acceleration, fearless dribbling, and a relentless willingness to attack defenders one-on-one. In tight games where structure alone cannot break an opponent, that kind of chaos can be priceless.
But Arsenal’s recruitment plan is not built around a single name.
Even if Nusa arrives, the club do not view that as the end of their work in that area. Morgan Rogers of Aston Villa remains firmly on the radar. Where Nusa offers upside and unpredictability, Rogers brings something more grounded: Premier League experience and tactical versatility.
Rogers can operate off the left or centrally behind the striker, giving Arteta another option in the pockets between midfield and attack. He knows the pace and physicality of the league, he understands English football’s rhythms, and he is far closer to being a plug‑and‑play starter.
In a perfect scenario for Arsenal, they land both.
Building a left side for a title defence
If that happens, the picture becomes clear. Rogers steps in as an immediate contender to elevate the first XI, a player who can start big league games and slot into European nights without the need for a long adaptation period. Nusa, meanwhile, can be unleashed in bursts, pushing Martinelli, learning Arteta’s demands, and growing into one of Europe’s most dangerous wide forwards.
That is the kind of depth champions carry. Not just cover, but competition. Not just numbers, but different types of threat.
Arsenal’s rise under Arteta has been built on control, structure and a defined identity. The next step in their evolution may depend on how much unpredictability they can inject into that framework, especially on the flanks where games are often decided by a single duel, a single burst of pace, a single moment of bravery.
The market will decide how expensive that evolution becomes. Leipzig will hold their line on Nusa. Aston Villa will not undersell Rogers. Liverpool will not quietly step aside.
But Arsenal know the stakes. Defending a Premier League crown demands more than maintaining standards; it demands raising them. And on the left wing, that means turning a problem area into a position of strength before the season truly starts asking hard questions.
