Julian Alvarez is very much the name Arsenal fans are talking about right now and if it was down to club legend Ian Wright, he’d have been in an Arsenal shirt a long time ago.
Alvarez was a huge success at Man City but sealed a big money move to Atletico Madrid after playing second fiddle to Erling Haaland.
Since then, Alvarez has scored 40 goals for Los Rojos Blancos, leading to many believing City potentially moved him on too early.
Tell us why we’re wrong: Arsenal should including Viktor Gyokeres as a makeweight to sign Julian Alvarez
Nevertheless, Alvarez’s name is back in the news amid links to Arsenal. The Gunners are believed to have made preliminary contact with representatives over what a potential deal might look like.
And looking back on what Ian Wright said about the striker, it’s clear he’d be welcomed at The Emirates.
Ian Wright’s verdict shows why Arsenal would love Julian Alvarez
Any Arsenal fan who says Julian Alvarez wouldn’t be a brilliant signing is quite simply lying.
The Argentinian is one of the premier strikers in the world and if there is any chance they can snap him up, whatever the fee, then they have to strike.
Of course, one man who knows about finding the net in Arsenal red is Ian Wright. And speaking back in 2025 about Alvarez, he suggested he was very much a player the Gunners would love.
“I would love to have seen a bit more of Julian Alvarez,” said Wright at the time.
“You saw him at the World Cup, and you saw him at City coming in off the back of Erling Haaland, the goals he scored and the player he was, you think ‘why couldn’t we get Alvarez?’
“For me, he’s a Premier League winning striker, if he had more time here, he would be at that top end, he’s a top striker.”
- READ MORE: Harry Maguire should be absolutely terrified after what Viktor Gyokeres has now done, it’s scary
Why Thierry Henry is also a huge fan of Julian Alvarez
It’s one thing getting a ringing endorsement from Ian Wright. It’s another thing altogether getting one from Thierry Henry.
Both are Arsenal legends in their own right and for Alvarez to have their backing shows just how good he is.
Indeed, Henry claims Alvarez is one of his favourite strikers.
“I will be honest with you. One of my favourite nines out there at the minute is Julian Alvarez,” Henry said back in May of last year.
“We’ve been talking about it. Putting pressure, playing alone, low, whatever you want to do. Did you see the free-kick he scored the other day? He can hold the ball long.
“He played at the Olympic Games, he played the Copa America. I don’t hear him saying ‘I’m tired, I’m not tired’. Hopefully nothing bad is going to happen to him, (but) he played everything. The way he plays, I just like him. Is it possible? I don’t know.”
If Arsenal do somehow manage to sign Alvarez, then a continued title push for years to come is almost a certainty.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
