Did The Premier League Need Vinicius? | Libero 146

Arsenal’s pursuit of Vinicius Junior is over after Real Madrid announced on Thursday afternoon that the Brazil international had signed a new long-term contract.

But on today’s episode - recorded just before the news was confirmed - Jack Pitt-Brooke, James Horncastle and John Brewin discussed why Arsenal’s attempted move for him felt so significant. For all the Premier League’s wealth and success, it generally does not buy in the most famous players in the world. Apart from the arrival of Erling Haaland in 2022, there have been few other high-status imports in recent years.

So does that actually matter? Is the league itself the star? Especially when big signings like Paul Pogba or Angel Di Maria fail to make too much of an impression in the Premier League. Or should the willingness of young players like Michael Olise and Jude Bellingham to reach the top outside the Premier League be a cause of concern in this country?

Join SC Libero, the most important of the least important membership clubs, now: liberopodcast.com
---
Produced by: Tom Bassam

Email us getintouch@liberopodcast.com

Libero socials
Join our Discord discord.gg/v6c2fdMKSK
.com/podcast_libero
Follow us on Bluesky bsky.app/profile/liberopodcast.com
.instagram.com/liberopod
.tiktok.com/@liberopod
.facebook.com/liberopod

Chapters
00:00 Intro and holiday chat
07:31 The Vinicius Jr saga and Premier League's star appeal
17:17 The Premier League's superstar transfers
32:15 Premier League to Premier League deals
43:03 Why young stars leave the Premier League

Music: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions