Arsenal Lack an X-Factor Like Vinicius or Alvarez, Merson: They May Still Fall Short in the Champions League

In his latest column, Paul Merson discussed Arsenal's Champions League prospects. He said Arsenal's performance in the Champions League last season was already excellent and that they will remain competitive this season, but he does not believe the club has signed the kind of "X-factor" player who can take them to a higher level.

The attack is still missing a little "ingredient"

Merson believes Arsenal's squad depth is enough to challenge for the Premier League title, but the issue lies in their attacking setup when facing strong teams in the Champions League. He said directly that if Arsenal had a player like Vinicius or Julian Alvarez in the squad, they would have a chance to win the Champions League. The reality is that they may still fall just short.

Speaking about Kai Havertz, Merson gave a very positive assessment. He said he is a fan of Havertz and believes the player does a lot of work, is a genuinely good player, runs actively and makes sensible decisions. However, Merson also pointed out a key limitation: Havertz is unlikely to score 20 goals in a single season. At the Premier League title level, Havertz is undoubtedly a top player; but in the latter stages of the Champions League against opponents such as Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal lack an attacker who can make opposition defenders feel concerned before the match.

Opposing defenders will not lose sleep because of it

Merson used a very specific scenario to illustrate the gap: when Arsenal face teams like Bayern or Paris in the latter stages of the Champions League, the opposing center-backs and full-backs would not get up in the morning for team discussions saying they could not sleep the night before or were worried about marking a particular Arsenal forward. Arsenal currently do not have that level of threat. Saka may make an opposing left-back cautious, but overall the team lacks that kind of X-factor.

Merson believes this was exactly the issue Arsenal discovered in last season's final.

A solid squad, but missing a superstar

Merson also acknowledged that Arsenal's overall strength is very solid at the moment. They have a squad capable of winning the Premier League title and have many excellent players, but they lack a superstar who can take the team to a higher level.

Regarding the start of their Champions League campaign, Merson stressed that performing well in the opening matches is very important. Under the new format, many teams have experienced difficulties. Arsenal need to produce consistent performances from the beginning of the Champions League campaign, otherwise the pressure will quickly build in the later stages.