Arsenal interest adds another layer to Vinicius Jr speculation
Vinicius Jr's surprise links to Arsenal this summer will be of major interest to Gunners icon Thierry Henry. And the Frenchman may be eager to see
"the best left winger in the world"arrive at the Emirates Stadium for more reasons than one.
Vinicius, 26, has emerged as a surprise target for Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta after entering the final 12 months of his contract in Madrid. There's a fine chance the Brazilian's representatives are simply using rumours as bait to land an even better deal for their client, though the powers that be in north London will hope there's a genuine chance of acquiring his signature.
And one would forgive Vinicius for feeling some angst about the idea of playing under Mourinho.
This comes after Henry failed to hide his frustrations at 'The Special One' for his refusal to call out alleged racism aimed at Vinicius.
The incident unfolded this past February when Real met Benfica, then managed by Mourinho, in the knockout play-offs of the Champions League. Vinicius scored the only goal of the game at the Estadio da Luz and soon appealed to the referee, accusing Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni of aiming racist abuse at him.
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Argentinian Prestianni, who was later banned over the incident, pulled his jersey up to cover his mouth before clearly saying something in Vinicius' direction. The winger sat in the dugout as the game was paused for 10 minutes, then he was subject to a chorus of boos from the Benfica fanbase whenever he received the ball once the game resumed.
Mourinho, 63, was criticised for his response to the alleged racism and instead put the responsibility on Vinicius for not celebrating his goal respectfully enough. He went on to say he
"didn't believe"Vinicius or Prestianni because they each told him different things, though his comments didn't wash with Henry.
"I can relate to what Vinicius is going through. That happened to me so many times on the pitch,"
said the Arsenal icon during the CBS broadcast.
"I talked about it so many times after games. I’ve also been accused of looking for excuses after games when that happened to me. At times, you feel lonely, because it’s going to be your word against his word.
"We don’t know what Prestianni has said, because he was very courageous by putting his shirt over his mouth to make sure that we weren’t going to see what he said. So clearly, already, you look suspicious.
"Because you didn’t want people to see or read what you said. Then, the reaction of Vinicius is telling me that something not right happened. We still don’t know what was said."
Henry put the responsibility squarely on Benfica's players and fans, as well as Mourinho, for their own actions. And he criticised the new Real manager, who has returned to their helm after almost a decade away, for deflecting attention off his player in such a serious situation.
"I wanted to know what his player said,"
Henry continued.
"He deflected the subject for us to talk about something else. He’s very good at that. The game didn’t stop because of the celebration, the game stopped because of what Prestianni apparently said."
Vinicius may have his own feelings about playing under Mourinho after that debacle. The coach would be wise to ensure he achieves a resolution with arguably Real's most valuable player, with Arsenal among those reportedly willing to capitalise if that isn't the case.
Reports have indicated Los Blancos have offered their forward a new contract worth somewhere around £325,000 a week. That's more than Arsenal's highest earner, Bukayo Saka, currently earns after penning new terms worth £300,000 a week.
Real have brought Mourinho back on board in the hopes of arresting Barcelona's recent reign of dominance under Hansi Flick. However, that move could come at a major cost if Henry's old side succeed in luring him to north London over the next month.
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